


Libertas Volandi

by Im_Innocent_I_Swear



Series: Libertas Volandi series [1]
Category: Internet Personalities, Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF), Youtubers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Powers, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Anal Fingering, Anal Play, Anal Sex, Angel Healing, Angel Wings, Angst, Anxiety, Attempted Sexual Assault, Bathroom Sex, Big Gay Love Story, Boarding School, Bows & Arrows, Bullying, Burn Power, Burns, Character Death, Chris Kendall - Freeform, Coming Out, Daddy Kink, Dan Howell - Freeform, Depression, Dom/sub, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Everyone Is Gay, Fantasy, Fear, Fights, Fire Powers, First Day of School, Fluff, Flying, Forbidden Love, Gay, Gay Sex, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Homophobia, Humor, Ice Powers, Kinky, Latin, Light Bondage, Love, M/M, Masturbation, Multi, PJ Liguori - Freeform, Panic Attacks, Phan Drabble, Phanfiction, Phil Lester - Freeform, Please Don't Hate Me, Prison, Public Sex, References to Shakespeare, Secret Relationship, Semi-Public Sex, Sex Toys, Sexual Assault, Sleep Power, Sleepy Cuddles, Smut, Social Anxiety, Spells & Enchantments, Supernatural Elements, Vibrators, Violence, dom!Phil, power bottom dan, sub Dan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-04-24 18:54:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 33
Words: 89,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4931281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Im_Innocent_I_Swear/pseuds/Im_Innocent_I_Swear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil Lester hates his boarding school. He hates how he has no friends or how he always gets bullied. He hates getting laughed at by everyone, or getting called names.<br/>And he absolutely hates his new roommate. Dan Howell.<br/>It must've been some lousy trick from fate as the two absolutely despise each other. But now they have to share a room, they realise they actually have a lot in common! Phil now knows it was the best trick fate pulled on him yet as this <em>Dan Howell</em> guy, is not an asshole after all. He's not that mean, he's not a bully, he's not horrible.<br/>But he's also not human.<br/>The two boys fall in love, and Dan knows that he's not allowed to fall for a human. But how bad can it be? It's just a little fun. No one will die from a little fun like this...<br/>Right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Noon. Phil sighed deeply, dragging his luggage behind him as he entered his boarding school for the 3rd year in a row. He hated it here. And he had got reasons for that. He had little to no friends, and always got picked on for no reason other than being nice. But being nice is clearly a bad thing that needs to be punished. Nothing special or outstanding. Just the usual getting pushed to the ground and made fun of for no reason. Sometimes he even got beat up, but that was it. Phil didn’t really care anymore. You get used to getting hurt all the time after a while. Phil’s parents loved Phil so dearly that they only wanted him to have the best. And somehow they got in their funny little heads that being in the school 24/7 is the best. Boy, were they wrong. Phil already missed his family. The next break was on Christmas and he honestly couldn’t wait. Phil dragged his luggage with him towards the reception.   
“Phil Lester,” Phil said shyly as the woman looked up and examined him.   
“Room 221B,” she said as she narrowed her eyes. ‘ _Iconic_ ,’ Phil thought.   
“And my roommate?” Phil asked and he crossed all his fingers and even his toes. He quickly prayed to all the gods he knew, and some superheroes just in case. Because please, _please_ don’t let it be-  
“Dan Howell,” the woman said and Phil’s stomach dropped on the floor and shattered into a million pieces. Phil squeezed his eyes shot and clenched his teeth together. He suddenly felt a hand hit his back.   
“Hey, buddy!” a familiar voice snarled. “We’re going to have _so_ much fun this year.”  
Phil shot a glance of desperation at the woman behind the counter, but she wasn’t paying attention anymore. Phil felt tears prickling in his eyes already. No. Not Dan Howell. He must have misunderstood. It can’t be him. Not the biggest bully of the entire school. Not the one who makes his life a living hell. Please, no. Phil slowly turned around, meeting two chocolate brown eyes. The boy was standing in front of him and grinned evilly, his brown and silky fringe falling perfectly over his tanned forehead.  
“Let me carry your luggage, mate,” Dan said viciously. “Let’s go to _our_ room.”  
Phil clutched his suitcase when Dan tried to take it from him.   
“I got it,” Phil said quietly, backing away a few steps.   
“Oh, no,” Dan said with an evil grin. “Your gay little hands aren’t made for holding heavy things.”  
“Carrying my luggage has nothing to do with me being gay,” Phil responded, barely audible, as he tried to suppress a sob. “I got it.”  
“Okay, then,” Dan said and held his hands up in surrender. “Whatever you want. Let’s go, buddy!”  
And Dan walked towards the staircase, Phil had no choice but to follow him. Phil already knew that this year was going to be fire. Hell fire. Surely when he was forced to be with Dan all year. Phil hated Dan passionately but never responded to any of his insults. In the holidays he always said to himself that this year, this year was going to be different. This year he would show how sassy he actually was. His best friend Alex always told him how awesome and funny he actually was. Phil, of course, never believed a thing. Phil sighed as he started to climb the stairs, the first staircase was easy to climb, but Phil soon felt himself getting more and more tired. He was heavy panting as soon as they reached the room.   
“I offered you my help,” Dan said cocky and grinned. “Told you so, Gaylord.”  
Phil bit his lip and looked at the ground as he heard his familiar nickname. He hated being called Gaylord. But he tried to ignore all the insults thrown his way. Phil realised that all his bullies probably had shitty things happening in their lives, and he was kind of being the bigger person. Dan opened the door and they walked in together. The room was symmetrical. If you were to put a mirror in the middle of the room, you wouldn’t even notice it. When you walked in, on either sides of the room there was a white closet. If you walked a step further, on either sides a bed with a nightstand. And a square window in the middle. The walls were grey. The room didn’t look very inviting, to say the least.   
“Home sweet home,” Dan said cheerfully. Phil walked towards the bed on the right, only to be brutally pushed aside.   
“Ow!” Phil yelped as he jumped back.   
“Watch it, loser,” Dan shot at him. “That’s my bed.”  
“You only want that bed because I was going to choose it!” Phil exclaimed, immediately taking a few steps back, not wanting to be yelled at for raising his voice like that.   
“I already choose that side before you were here, you little bitch,” Dan said as he narrowed his eyes. Phil gave him a quick nod and sat down on the other bed. He dragged his suitcase on it and started to unpack. He shot a glance at Dan who was intensely staring at him with a disgusted look on his face.   
“Are you okay, Dan?” Phil asked shyly, tugging a stray of hair behind his ear. Dan’s stare turned into an evil grin.   
“Just happy that I’ve got you for myself…” Dan chuckled. “For an entire year…”  
Phil clenched his teeth together as he continued to unpack. He put two frames with pictures on his nightstand. One of him and his parents, and one of him and his best friend Alex from home. Dan stretched out to see the picture.   
“Is that your boyfriend,” Dan asked with a smirk. “Is that the guy who sucks your dick?”  
“We’re just friends,” Phil answered quietly. “So, no.”  
“Nah, you’re lying, gay boy,” Dan concluded. “You want him to suck you, don’t you.”  
“No, I don’t!” Phil whisper-shouted as he felt his face redden. “And keep your voice down!”  
“What?” Dan said as he started to raise his voice. “Is no one supposed to know that you like getting your dick sucked by some guy from home?”  
“Stop,” Phil said quietly, trying to sound stern, but failing miserably. Dan’s expression softened for a moment.   
“Jeez, it’s just a joke,” Dan said mildly annoyed. “A joke, not a dick. Don’t take it so hard.”  
Phil couldn’t help but chuckle, immediately wanting to slap himself for laughing at a joke of someone he hates.  
“I made you laugh!” Dan said with an evil grin. Phil turned his face away and continued to unpack.   
“Aren’t you going to unpack?” Phil asked shyly, avoiding eye-contact.   
“Nah, I’ll do it when you’re gone,” Dan said. “Don’t want to scare with all the sex stuff I brought. Lube, vibrators, dildos, gag, spreader bar-“  
“Yeah, okay, I got it,” Phil said annoyed. “You have sex a lot.”  
“Jealous?” Dan asked grinning. Phil couldn’t be any more flustered by now. “And why are you jealous? About not getting laid, or about not getting laid by _me_.”  
Phil choked as he turned his face to Dan, frowning.   
“Don’t look so alarmed, gay boy,” Dan said. “It’s just sex.”  
“Sex doesn’t alarm me,” Phil responded.   
“How would you know?” Dan shot back with a vicious smile on his face. Phil bit his lip. He couldn’t get back on that. So what? Being a virgin isn’t bad at all! He’s just saving himself for someone who’s worth it. And that’s normal.  
“No reply?” Dan asked grinning. “I guess I won then.”  
Phil kept quiet, not wanting to get involved in some fight about nothing. It was quiet for a few more seconds.  
“You’re no fun, Lester,” Dan sighed. Phil glanced at Dan and saw him leaning back against the wall. Dan’s eyes filled with fear as soon as his back hit the wall. He shot a fearful glance at Phil and quickly laid on his back on the bed. Phil tilted his head questioningly.   
“You OK, Dan?” he asked shyly but immediately regretted the question when Dan glared at him.   
“Why wouldn’t I be, wimp,” he answered harsh and narrowed his eyes. “Why do you care anyway?”  
“Sorry, for annoying you,” Phil answered quietly. “With my care.”  
“I don’t want nor need your gay care, Lester,” Dan shot back. Phil turned his head back to his suitcase and grabbed some bath supplies. “Loser.”  
Phil felt his eyes filled with tears. This place hadn’t changed by one bit. Phil hoped that it would be better. But no. Being nice was still a horrible thing to be. And it needed to be punished.   
“Sorry,” Phil said anxiously, so soft it was barely a whisper.   
“Speak up a bit, will ya,” Dan said harsh. “I’m not deaf, but I can’t fully understand you if you whisper like that.”  
“Sorry,” Phil said a bit louder, his voice breaking in the middle. Phil quickly cleared his throat as he blinked his tears away.   
“You’re such a loser, aren’t you, Lester,” Dan sighed and pulled his duvet up to his shoulders. He turned towards Phil, meeting his back. Phil bit his lower lip. “Always apologizing. Always keeping your gay little head down. Not even _daring_ to speak up for yourself.”  
Phil bit his lip even harder and tasted some blood in his mouth as he folded up some clothing to put away in the closet.  
“You worthless piece of shit,” Dan shot. Phil squeezed his eyes shut for a second. Too far. He was used to being called loser, Gaylord, ugly, dumb etc. but he was never called worthless. But the worst part was, that Phil believed it. He jumped up from the bed and he glared at Dan. If being nice wasn’t the way, then being mean should be it.   
“Shut up,” Phil said, his voice trembling with anger. “I’m trying to make it work, for the both of us! I’m being nice to you! Giving you a second change after you destroyed my life two years in a row! But NO. The good old Mr. Howell is and always will be a dickhead.”  
Dan raised his eyebrows and he sat up, not being used to getting an insult back. Especially not from Lester. He never saw a nice guy like him lose his shit like that. Dan almost felt the need to apologize. _Almost_.  
“Wow, dude. Chill,” Dan said and frowned. Phil felt a tear escape his eye and he quickly wiped it away. At this point Dan certainly felt that he had to apologize. He’s right.   
“Chill? You keep ruining my life, over and over again,” Phil screamed and pointed at him. “You make my life a living hell. I hope you’re motherfucking proud.”  
Phil walked towards the door. A sob escaped his mouth.   
“Were are you going?” Dan asked. “Look I’m s-“  
“Anywhere away from _you_!” Phil screamed at him and dramatically slammed the door shut behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Dan widened his eyes as soon as Phil left the room. He never saw Phil acting like that. He really did have to agree with him. All he was trying to do was being nice. Making it work out. And how did he respond to it? Horrible. And what did he do? Being an asshole. This was all his fault. ‘ _He’s right. I am a horrible person_ ,’ Dan thought as he sighed deeply and laid on his back again. He flinched as he felt the bumps in his back.  
“Shit,” he whispered anxiously. No one can know. And especially not what they really were.  
Phil jolted down the stairs and wiped the tears out of his eyes, ignoring the laughs and points he was getting. He ran down the corridors, towards the exit. He needed to go outside for a while. His vision blurred when his eyes filled again. He slowly lowered his speed and stopped running. Standing next to the reception. Maybe they’ll let them switch. _Maybe_. He knew it was basically impossible. There is no changing roommates. But maybe he was lucky. He quickly wiped all the tears away and sighed deeply as he approached the reception.  
“Um, excuse me, ma’am?” Phil asked shyly and the woman looked up. “I want another roommate.”  
“Not happening,” the woman said. “You’ve been here before, you know that.”  
“Please,” Phil practically begged. “ _Please_ …”  
“Look, if I let one person switch, the whole school will be asking the same thing,” she responded annoyed. “I don’t have time for that.”  
“Worth the try,” Phil sighed and turned around, bumping into the person behind him.  
“Oh, sorry,” a young boy said. He looked up and was met by a boy with white skin and brown curls. He had green eyes with a dark circle around the iris. Their eyes met and Phil realized that he had never seen those before. Phil smiled apologetic at the pretty boy in front of him.  
“No _I’m_ sorry. I’ve never seen you here before,” Phil noticed and smiled. “You must be new.”  
“Yes, I am,” the boy said. “Nice to meet you. I’m PJ Liguori. People call me Peej.”  
“Phil Lester, people call me loser,” Phil said and they shook hands.  
“You don’t look like a loser,” PJ noticed and took a few steps back, examining Phil. Phil coughed uncomfortably. “You look like a Winston to me.”  
Phil chuckled and already knew that they were going to be friends.  
“Thanks,” Phil said. “Did you ask were your room is and stuff?”  
“No, I was walking towards the reception to ask, but some dude banged into me and started talking to me, how weird right,” PJ said and grinned. Phil chuckled and they turned around to the reception together.  
“Name?” the woman behind the counter asked.  
“PJ Liguori,” PJ said.  
“Do you mean P-” the woman started.  
“Just PJ,” PJ quickly said. The woman narrowed her eyes and nodded slowly.  
“Room 109C,” she said. “Roommate, Chris Kendall.”  
PJ gave her a small nod and they walked together towards the stairs, being met by Dan who was walking down them.  
“Well, well, well,” Dan said and grinned. “Loser Lester made a gay friend!”  
“Who’s that?” PJ whispered. Phil flinched when he saw Dan.  
“Well, I’m his lovely roommate, of course!” Dan said. “How’s it going, wimp? Are you going to suck each other’s dicks? I bet you’ll have loads of fu-”  
“Shut up, Howell,” Phil growled at him. He saw PJ turning red. “Get lost.”  
“Get lost? Where are your manners, Philip?” Dan asked innocently as he walked down the stairs and stood next to them. He laid a hand on Phil’s shoulder. “Telling someone to get lost! That’s not the Gaylord I know.”  
Phil clenched his teeth together and turned to Dan. Eyes filled with rage. Adrenaline is a weird thing. It courses through your body. Making you feel invincible, and certainly not thinking about consequences. Before he knew it, he pressed his hands against Dan’s chest and gave him a rough push. Dan took a few steps back, trying to keep balance before he fell down onto his bum. He glared at Phil.  
“You made a mistake by doing that, you bitch,” Dan growled. Phil kept quiet and stared angrily into Dan’s eyes. He saw Dan’s hand touch his back and his eyes widened for a second. He quickly scrambled up.  
“It was great catching up with you,” Dan said nervously. “I’m going to go now. Bye, losers.”  
Dan shuffled away, his back facing away from Phil all the time. Dan anxiously looked around as soon as Phil was out of sight and ran into the men’s bathroom. He quickly checked if he was alone and he locked the door. He ripped his shirt off, throwing it on the floor, and turned his back to one of the mirrors. His eyes widened. This was bad. Very, very bad.  
“I can’t go around anymore if I can’t control it,” Dan gritted his teeth.

“What was that about?” PJ asked as they started climbing the stairs. Phil sighed and hoped that Dan hadn’t ruined the possible friendship he was forming with PJ.  
“He’s always like that,” Phil explained. “And he’s also my roommate, yay me. But I’m usually never like that! I’m the least intimidating person you’ll ever meet! I was being nice to him, even though he ruined my life, and he still was horrific. So I guess being mean back will help me more than being nice. So I’ll try that out. But yeah, I’m stuck with him this year.”  
“Too bad,” PJ said. “He looks like a real dickhead.”  
“He _is_ is a real dickhead,” Phil corrected him. “I passionately hate him.”  
“But, real talk,” PJ said with a serious face. “How did he know I’m gay?”  
Phil’s eyes widened for a second. He found another one like him. He wasn’t alone anymore.  
“He just assumed it,” Phil said quickly. “Don’t mind him. He gay-shames everyone who is bad in his eyes. It’s fine by me, by the way. I’m gay too.”  
“Queer-five!” PJ exclaimed and raised his hand enthusiastically. Phil frowned and slowly raised his hand too and they shared an awkwardly slow high-five.  
“Fun fact,” PJ started. “The high-five is originally made by gay men. Giving each other a high-five means you’re gay.”  
“What, really?” Phil chuckled. “That’s so cool! I finally found someone like me, I’m so happy about that.”  
“On my last school, I got bullied real bad for liking men,” PJ sighed. “Thank god there’s another queer around!”  
“I’m not the only one,” Phil said. “There should be some closeted people around too. And I don’t blame them when there’s asshole like Dan Howell around.”  
“I don’t like him,” PJ said. “Who’s Chris Kendall, by the way?”  
“I never talked to him before,” Phil explained. “I, like, passed him at breakfast or class. But he seems nice. Nicer then Dan. But again, that’s not very hard.”  
“I hope he’s nice,” PJ sighed. Soon they stood in front of PJ’s room. PJ pushed the door handle down and they slowly entered the door. There was a boy sitting on one of the beds with brown hair and brown eyes, listening to music. The boy looked up and smiled friendly.  
“Which one of you is the lucky boy getting to be my roommate,” Chris said cheerful. “I’m Chris, nice to meet you two!”  
“PJ Liguori,” PJ smiled and they shook hands. “I’m your roommate.”  
“And you’re new too!” Chris noticed and smiled. He opened his arms and spun around. “Welcome in this hellhole! You’re going to have loads of horrible moments and floods of homework. Apart from that, you might and probably WILL have a few mental breakdowns! Look forward to this horrible adventure of horror people call ‘Boarding school’!”  
PJ chuckled plopped down onto the other bed and laid down, already getting comfortable in his new environment.  
“You are totally right, Chris. I’m Phil, nice to meet you,” Phil said and shook Chris’s hand.  
“Who’s your roommate, Phil?” Chris asked and walked back to his bed and sat down. He beckoned at Phil and patted a place next to him, asking him to sit down. Phil smiled and happily sat down. Was he actually making friends? Maybe this year wasn’t going to be so bad after all!  
“Howell is my roommate,” Phil said and made a gagging sound. Chris winced and gave Phil a pitiful glance.  
“Sorry about that, mate,” Chris said. “He is a total dickhead.”  
“Tell me about it,” Phil sighed. “I think I’ll survive… kind of…”  
“We’re here for you now,” PJ chuckled. “Anyway, was it just me or did he act really weird when he walked away. Is there something with his back? Or is he always like that?”  
“Oh, I didn’t notice,” Phil shrugged. “Well, actually. There was a misunderstanding in the room where I thought something was wrong with his back, but he was so bloody mean to me. So I yelled at him and left. And then I banged into some dude and started talking to him, how weird right?”  
“Totally,” PJ said and chuckled. “But in all seriousness, there is something wrong with that guy-”  
“Hold the fuck up!” Chris yelled and held his hands up. “Did you speak up for yourself? I never saw nor heard you doing that before, mate! That’s so good of you! And also against someone like Howell! Wow! I wish I was that brave!”  
“Thanks,” Phil chuckled at Chris’s enthusiastic reaction. “I wish it wasn’t necessary, though.”  
“Don’t we all?” Chris responded. It was silent for a few seconds.  
“Dude, that’s deep,” PJ said. “But back to BEFORE you rudely interrupted me, maybe we should keep an eye on Dan’s back.”  
“Sure,” Chris shrugged. “Who knows?”

Dan sighed deeply as he plugged in his earphones and started listening to some Fall Out Boy, trying to relax but failing. He was overthinking again. He jumped up and started pacing around.  
“This is so horrible,” he whispered to himself. “If anyone finds out, I’m going to lose all my friends. Everyone will think I’m some sort of bloody alien. Why did this happen to me? Why always _me_?”  
He continued pacing, occasionally muttering something to himself.  
“I should phone mum,” he whispered and got out his phone, dialing the number. He put the phone to his ear and waited.  
“Dan? Is that you? Sweetie, how are you?” a cheerful voice said.  
“Not very good mum, I can barely control it anymore,” Dan said quietly, not wanting anybody to hear it. “I hate this school, mum.”  
“Maybe I’ll try to find something else for you, sweetie. But that’s horrible! You know that around your age, you’ll discover more and more of your powers. They’re triggered by extreme emotions or if you try to control it all the time, Daniel. How long have you kept them bottled up?” she asked. “You have to let it go sometimes, if it’s too long, not even the strongest can control it. And you don’t want to explode like that in front of everyone. Not like I did.”  
“It’s been a while, yes,” Dan said and pondered. “There is a gym with a trampoline room. It’s fairly high and big, maybe I can-“  
“You don’t want everyone to find out about it the way they did about me, right? We had to move to another town!” his mum exclaimed.  
“No, mum, of course not,” Dan responded. “Again: they have a trampoline hall here, it’s fairly big. I’ll have enough space.”  
“Go there right now, and watch out with what you do,” his mum said. “I know you’re not the type, but don’t start any silly fights, sweetheart.”  
“Me? Fighting?” Dan said offended. He chuckled in his head. His mum always thought so well about him. “I’m slightly disappointed that you think of me that way. I’m going to the hall now, OK?”  
“Okay, sweetie. Love you! Bye! And no relationships, that is way too dangerous!” she said and they hang up. Dan quickly walked to his closet and grabbed a special shirt were he cut out the back and a jacket. He changed into it and practically ran down the stairs as he felt himself lose control of his back. He needed to be quick. The Sonic Theme© played in his head. He jolted towards the gym.  
“Hey, there lad!” the gym master said and waved at the quickly nearing boy. “Howell? You? Exercising? Well, good luck with that, mate! I trust you, though. How are you doing, anyw-”  
“I don’t have any time for chitchat now, sir,” Dan said and shot past him. He saw the trampoline hall and practically burst through the door. He slammed the door shut and reached to lock it.  
“Shit,” Dan whispered. No lock. He needed to lock the door. He HAD to lock the door. He saw a chair and shoved it underneath the door handle. Dan took a few steps back and examined his work. He gave it a small nod and looked around for cameras. Not any. Dan smiled and threw his jacket on the floor. He sighed deeply and relaxed his back.


	3. Chapter 3

“Uh… well pretty gay, kind and annoying, I think,” Phil said and glanced shyly at PJ and Chris.   
“I don’t think you’re annoying, Phil,” PJ said. “You’re pretty cool. But you are kind, yes.”  
“I agree with Peej,” Chris said with a small nod. They all sat in room 109C, PJ and Chris’s dorm room. After gossiping about Dan and how weird he acted, they started playing some game that you had to describe yourself in 3 words. Chris sitting on his bed, PJ sitting on his bed and Phil in-between them on a beanbag on the floor.   
“You’re go,” Phil said and made a quick hand gesture towards PJ. “Describe yourself in 3 words.”  
“I don’t need to think long about that, mate. Funny, creative and just perfect,” PJ said and grinned. Phil threw a pillow that was lying next to him at him as he laughed.  
“You forgot humble, asshole,” Chris giggled.  
“It’s hard to stay humble if you’re as good as I am,” PJ said and lifted his chin in the air as he threw the pillow back at Phil. “I’m also a violent queer, but I wouldn’t describe myself as it. Although Dan seemed to know immediately. Chris?”  
“Oh, uh… I don’t know..? Friendly, I guess. Also queer… and… uh… I don’t know!” Chris sighed frustrated. “Trustworthy, I guess. Cos y’all can trust me! I never tell secrets.”  
“That’s really good, Chris,” PJ smiled and Phil nodded.   
“Funny that we’re all not straight. I actually never knew that, Chris,” Phil said and raised an eyebrow at him. “How come I never heard?”  
“Because this is the first time I told someone from school,” Chris admitted quietly. Phil leaned towards him and laid his hand on Chris’s shoulder. He gave him a warming smile.   
“It’s very brave of you, Chris,” Phil said. “I know how hard it is.”  
“Same here,” PJ said. “We could start a queer gang. We’ll be known as ‘those gay emo kids’. We’ll be a holy trinity.”  
“Thank you, guys,” Chris smiled. “But I still can’t get over the fact that Dan was apparently behaving so weird.”  
“Yeah, I know,” Phil said. “I think I’m going to head back to my room. Examining the place. I’ll give you guys all the information I know. We’re like the gay, male version of Totally Spies©.”  
“Can I be Clover?” PJ joked. “But seriously, give us a heads up.”  
“You have our numbers!” Chris said as Phil stood up and brushed his jeans off. He waved at the boys on their beds and walked out. He slumped towards the stairs and started to climb them. Soon he saw his dorm and trotted towards the door, quickly pushing the door handle down. Phil noticed too late that the door wasn’t opening and ran into it, his face making and echoing sound against the wooden door. He backed away a few steps and grabbed his head.   
“Ow! Motherf- Dan!” Phil yelled angrily and banged on the door. “Did you lock the door? Open up!”  
“Did you just ran into the door? Oh my god, that’s hilarious!” Dan laughed from the inside and a roughly a minute later, after a lot of stumbling, the door opened. Dan was wearing a grey shirt and a black leather jacket. He looked flustered and sweaty, the way people look after they worked out. Phil ignored his strange look and glared at him.   
“Why did you lock the door,” Phil asked angrily, even though it didn’t sound as a question, and walked in, examining the room. Dan’s suitcase was unpacked… kind of. There were still things in it, and some things were laying on the bed, some in the closet that was standing open. Phil slowly sat down in his bed as he glanced into Dan’s suitcase. He narrowed his eyes as Dan closed the door. Phil pointed that a spray can in the suitcase.   
“What’s that in your suitcase?” he asked curiously and shuffled closer, reaching for it. Dan jolted towards his suitcase and almost dramatically jumped in front of Phil’s hand, yelling a ‘no!’, too late because Phil already grabbed it and read the label out loud. “Spray for Feathers. Keeps the feathers clean and soft-”  
Dan snatched it out of his hand as he went bright red. They stared at each other for a few seconds.   
“Why do you have _feather_ spray in your suitcase?” Phil asked as he narrowed his eyes. Dan gulped.   
“Must have fallen in when I was packing,” Dan said and shifted uncomfortably. “I have a bird, it’s its.”  
A few seconds of silence followed. Dan coughed and continued unpacking but still holding the spray-can. In the corner of his eye he saw Phil peeking over his shoulder. Dan turned his head around and glared.   
“Back away, will ya,” he said harsh, still clutching onto the spray. “It looks like you’re trying to butt-fuck me.”  
Phil felt himself get red but instead of backing away, he edged closer until their bodies touched. Phil moaned in Dan’s ear.   
“Dan… fff-ah, Dan, YES,” Phil said with a vicious grin. Dan looked at him in horror and Phil smirked back. “Yes, Dan. Right there! You feel so good! You’re so big!”  
Phil slowly started grinding against him, moaning in his ear. Dan covered Phil’s mouth with his hand as he was bright red.   
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, mate!?” Dan whisper-shouted. Phil playfully bit on Dan’s fingers and moaned against his hands. Dan clenched his teeth together. Phil rolled his eyes back in his head and made the most pornographic moan he could. Dan turned his body around and pushed Phil away with his free hand. Phil fell back and his bum and chuckled.   
“Jesus, Howell,” he grinned. “It’s just a joke, not a dick. Don’t take it so hard.”  
“Fuck you,” he mumbled and squeezed the spray-can harder.   
“Is that an offer?” Phil asked playfully and winked. “I bet you’re just as gay as I am, Howell.”  
“Shut up,” Dan went even brighter red and gave Phil one last death glare. Phil glanced at Dan one last time and his eyes widened as he saw a noticeable bulge in his jeans.  
“I turned you on!” Phil exclaimed surprised and pointed at Dan’s crotch.  
“No, you didn’t,” Dan shouted at him.  
“Well, I don’t know if your dick thinks the same way,” Phil smirked as Dan turned even redder.  
“It was the moaning,” he muttered as he clutched the spray-can even tighter. Suddenly half of the spray-can fell on the ground. Dan looked at his hand in horror and saw that his hands burned through the metal of the can. Dan gasped and glanced at his fist. Did he just burn through something? He glanced behind him and saw that Phil already laid on his back in his bed, grabbing his ear phones. Dan slowly opened his hand seeing white substance dribbling out of it. He stared at his hands in awe. He discovered his first new power. It was a relief to already get to know his power in a non-public situation, knowing what it could do because of the things his family taught him. It felt familiar somehow. He quickly got out a tissue as an unpleasant smell slowly filled the room. Dan prayed to all the gods he knew, and some superheroes just in case, that Phil wouldn’t notice. Please, _Plea-_  
“What is this disgusting smell?” Phil asked annoyed and glanced at Dan. Dan clenched his teeth together. Phil peaked over Dan’s shoulder. “Is that cum? Dan, that’s disgusting. You could’ve at least gone to the bathroom or someth-”   
“That’s not cum, you asshole. That was the shit that was inside of the can. The can fell on the floor and broke,” Dan lied muttering and threw both sides of the can in the trash and wiped his hands and the floor clean. Dan silently thanked his mum for packing an extra spray-can for him. He needed it. If he didn’t have that spray, it would go seriously wrong.   
“That smells so horrible,” Phil said disgusted. “Open the window, will ya.”  
Dan sighed and got up, opening the window. Phil grinned. It was actually working. Being mean to Dan was actually working. Phil told himself to be nice again when Dan was behaving nice too.   
“What were you doing when I was away?” Phil asked, sounding disinterested. He actually was really interested, but sounding like that might seem weird when you’re behaving like an asshole.   
“Gym,” Dan said as he plopped back onto the bed. Phil looked up with a mocking look.   
“You? In the gym?” Phil chuckled. Dan blushed and looked up.   
“I exercise 10 times more than you do, Lester,” Dan said and frowned.   
“So you don’t exercise,” Phil shot back Dan raised an eyebrow. “10 times 0 is 0, dumbass.”  
Dan kept his mouth shut as he continued unpacking.   
“You know what’s weird?” Dan started.   
“Your face,” Phil sassed. Dan glared at him and sighed.   
“I’ve only really met you this morning,” Dan noticed. “I mean, I knew about your existence and we interacted a lot. But I never actually met _you_. In the beginning, you were a shy wuss. And now, you’re some sass master from Manchester, rhyme not intended. Do you’ve got them mood swings, Lester?”  
Phil chuckled.   
“I’m going to be totally honest with you. I figured that if you get bullied for being nice, you might get left alone if you’re being an asshole,” Phil admitted shyly. “And it worked. You haven’t really insulted me yet.”  
It was silence for a few moments.  
“Good thinking, Lester,” Dan mumbled. Dan opened his mouth to say something but was rudely interrupted by the school bell.   
“Dinner,” Phil said and stood up, but before Dan could say what he wanted to say, Phil walked passed him and disappeared into the crowd of other boys walking down the corridor.

“Guys!” Phil yelled happily and waved when he walked towards the table with PJ and Chris, holding a tray with some peas. Chris waved back enthusiastically. Phil quickly sat down and the guys looked at him expecting. Phil started eating whilst the boys were staring at them intensely. Phil slowly chewed on his food, feeling slightly uncomfortable as the boys kept their eyes on him. Phil swallowed his food and raised an eyebrow.   
“What?” he asked and tilted his head. “Why are you two staring at me like that?”  
“Do you have news?” PJ asked enthusiastic.   
“Did anything weird happened?” Chris asked just as excited. Phil frowned.   
“Not really, except that he was nice to me,” Phil answered. “Well, nice for his doing.”  
“Did he suck your dick?” PJ asked mockingly. Chris spurted out his peas in an attempt to keep a straight face and laughed loudly. Phil went bright red.   
“What?” Phil asked and pressed his lips together. “Why would you think that?”  
“We secretly followed you and heard moans,” PJ admitted and chuckled.   
“Seriously, you followed me?” Phil sighed and raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “Well, funny story actually. I was looking over his shoulder, to look in his suitcase, what _you two_ told me to do, and he told me to back up because it looked like ‘I was trying to butt-fuck him’. So instead of backing up, I decided to make him uncomfortable with loud moaning.”  
“Nice one,” Chris said and chuckled. “He must have loved it.”  
“He did,” Phil chuckled. “I got him hard.”  
“No fucking way, Lester,” PJ exclaimed with wide eyes. “You serious?”  
“Dead serious,” Phil grinned. “But I would love to have another topic, please.”  
“What did you see in his suitcase? Anything weird?” Chris said, changing it.  
“Not really,” Phil said pondering. “Well, there was this spray-can in his suitcase. A spray-can for feathers and-”  
“Okay, listen to this,” PJ interrupted. “He is an angel, send by some sort of god-”  
“Really?” Chris interrupted PJ back. “You think _Dan Howell_ is an angel?”  
“Maybe it’s a punishment from god,” PJ said. “Think about it. There’s something with his _back_! And he brought a _feather_ spray. It all fits perfectly!”  
“‘It all’?” Phil said and raised his eyebrows. “We don’t have proper evidence, Peej. And he has a bird, the spray-can fell in during packing.”  
“That’s what Howell _says_ ,” PJ said and made a few slow hand gestures. “But in _reality_ he IS the bird!”  
“You really _are_ creative, PJ,” Chris sighed.   
“No, think about it!” PJ exclaimed. “He is secretly a human/bird hybrid and he changes into a bird sometimes and flies around-”  
“Let’s keep it realistic here. We should investigate some more,” Chris said and started to count along on his fingers. “I’m talking about following him, going through his stuff, overhear phone calls, that kind of stuff.”  
“Investigate?” Phil snorts. “Don’t you mean: _stalking_?”  
“It’s called admiring from afar,” Chris chuckled. “But some people call it ‘stalking’.”  
“Look, do you want to know if something is wrong, or not?” PJ asked. “What Chris is saying is actually a good idea. We can totally find out what’s up with him. He’s being weird.”  
“You met him literally this afternoon!” Phil exclaimed. “How would you know!”  
“I just do,” PJ shrugged. “Okay, so this is the plan. The next time he goes out, I follow him and you two go into the room and search through all his stuff and-”  
“Privacy is apparently not in your dictionary,” Phil sighed and continued to eat while the boys started to discuss their stalking skills and conspiracy theories. Phil abruptly put down his utensils and looked at them. “Am I the only one who thinks that this isn’t normal?”  
“We just want to find out more about that guy,” Chris said. “Are you in?”  
“If I’m in? In this dumb and crazy plan of yours? In this plan that ignores privacy just so we can find out if someone has ‘super powers’?” Phil asked, making a quick hand gestures with the quotation marks. “Of course I’m in.”


	4. Chapter 4

“What was the code again?” Phil asked. _I can’t believe I’m doing this_ , he thought. They were on their way to room 221B to drop Phil off. They were discussing a code about how to say Dan left the room. Phil said it was stupid but he was secretly just as excited as the other two. What _if_ Dan was actually some sort of superhuman? Chris sighed annoyed.  
“As soon as Dan leaves the room, you text or call us, whatever you prefer, and say the code,” Chris explained. He looked around anxiously. “You say or text: ‘the bird left the cage’ and repeat it.”  
“ ‘The bird left the cage’?” Phil snorts. “That’s so stupid! Who came up with this.”  
“Why, me of course,” PJ says with a grin. “Okay, there’s your dorm, right?”  
“Yeah,” Phil says and point at it as they approach.  
“Okay, so y’all know the plan?” Chris asked.  
“Let’s go over it one more time,” Phil said. PJ sighed annoyed.  
“You text or call us as soon as he leaves, I’m waiting near your room when it happens so that I can follow him. You then let Chris into the room and go through his stuff.”  
“Okay, then,” Phil says and stands in front of the dorm. “I’ll text.”  
PJ and Chris promptly left and Phil walked in, meeting Dan who was sitting on his bed. It looked like he was thinking about something and jolted his head up when Phil walked in. Dan’s mouth corners seemed to curl up a little bit, for just the fraction of a second.  
“Hey,” Dan said as Phil sat down.  
“Hey,” Phil answered and grabbed his headphones.  
“How was dinner,” Dan asked. Phil looked at him questioningly. Was Dan being _nice_?  
“Uh, it was pretty fun with the friends I’ve made recently,” Phil answered and plugged his headphones in his phone. “You?”  
“I didn’t go,” Dan said. “I wasn’t hungry.”  
“Oh,” Phil said and a silence followed.  
“I’m sorry,” Dan said suddenly. The words echoed through Phil’s mind a couple of times. Did _Dan Howell_ just apologise for something? Phil stopped in his movements. “I’m sorry for behaving like a dick all the time.”  
Phil opened his mouth to respond, but he wasn’t functioning. He was stunned, startled by what he heard. This can’t be Dan Howell. A demon must have possessed him. Phil turned to Dan who was looking at him with almost pleading eyes.  
“I accept your apology,” Phil muttered quietly, still not believing that that was actually a thing that just happened. Phil chuckled inwards. He got an apology from Dan Howell. He broke him. His plan on being mean had worked perfectly.  
“I mean it, you know,” Dan said shyly. “I really _am_ sorry. And you know I never apologise for things, but I do now. And I hope we can have a not-so-shit year. Together.”  
“Thanks, that’s really nice of you, Dan,” Phil said and gave him a soft smile.  
Phil scrolled through his songs and picked his Muse playlist. Phil sighed as he relaxed, putting his headphones on and on the highest volume. Psycho blasted into his ears as he hummed along but was rudely interrupted by Dan, nudging his arm. Phil flinched and pulled his headphones off.  
“The fuck you think you’re doing, mate,” Phil exclaimed and sat up. Dan smiled apologetically. Phil blinked a few times. Did Dan just _smile apologetically_? Character development.  
“I just thought that I heard some music I know,” Dan said quietly with a shy smile. Why was he talking so anxiously to Phil? He had accepted his apology. “Is that Muse?”  
“Yes… it is…” Phil answered and his questioning look slowly evolved into a doubtful smile. “I love Muse and their music!”  
“So do I!” Dan responded with a now fully grown, genuine smile. “You’re listening to Psycho, right? Man, I love that song! It’s so powerful.”  
“I didn’t know you had good music taste, Howell,” Phil chuckled. “What other bands do you listen to?”  
“Uh, a lot,” Dan chuckled and sat down next to Phil. “I love Fall Out Boy, Panic… those kind of bands.”  
“Same!” Phil said happily. This Dan Howell dude wasn’t as bad as he seemed! “I also listen to Bring me the Horizon and My Chem-”  
“Yes, oh my god, yes!” Dan said laughing. “I love them so much! Bring me the Horizon’s new album, That’s the Spirit, is so awesome. I especially love True Friends. But my heart still hurts after the MCR breakup.”  
“That’s really cool,” Phil said and smiled. “You’re nicer than I thought.”  
“I am,” Dan said quietly and looked at his hands. “I hope you don’t mind that I’m going out tonight. Not, like, partying or anything. Just having a walk alone. It’s really relaxing.”  
“Sure,” Phil responded and thought about Chris and PJ. He needed to text them. “Have fun with that.”  
“Thanks,” Dan said. “Again, I’m so sorry for being such a dickhead. You didn’t deserve any of that-”  
“No one deserves any of that,” Phil interrupted cold. “No one deserves to get called names for their sexual orientation. No one deserves to get bullied every day. No one deserves to hate themselves because of others telling them how worthless they are, Dan. No one.”  
“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right,” Dan replied quietly. “No one.”  
“But I accept your apology,” Phil said. “Let’s forget about it and start over again.”  
“Yeah, let’s do that,” Dan said happily. “Tell me something more about you.”  
“Well, my name is Philip Michael Lester. I am 17 years old. My parents always call me Lion, which is very embarrassing. My hair isn’t naturally black and I my guilty pleasure is anime,” Phil said and chuckled. Dan’s eyes lit up.  
“I love anime too! And my parents always call me ‘bear’. How stupid is that!” Dan admitted. Phil’s eyes widened.  
“That’s not stupid,” Phil chuckled. “It’s cute!”  
“And my hair isn’t naturally straight,” Dan added, blushing slightly after hearing Phil calling something like that cute. He saw Phil’s mouth corners edge up.  
“You have curls?” he asked with a grin, his tongue poking between his teeth. Dan chuckled shyly.  
“Yeah, but it’s shit. Like seriously, it is _so_ bad, I want it to be straight but I look like a fucking hobbit,” Dan chuckled. “I always straighten it immediately after I showered and dried my hair.”  
“You brought straighteners?” Phil asked.  
“Yeah, but it won’t help making _everything_ straight,” Dan chuckled poked Phil’s side with his elbow. Phil laughed at the joke that was obviously nicely meant.  
“Says _you_ ,” Phil snickered. Dan flushed red and looked away. Phil raised an eyebrow and searched Dan’s eyes. Was he really…? Phil then did something that from the moment he first saw Dan, he wanted to do. If only he had a nice personality that fitted his beautiful looks. Phil leaned forward and hugged Dan tight. “It’s okay.”  
Dan wrapped his arms around Phil’s waist and started sobbed in his chest, feeling a huge weight fall from his shoulders.  
“Sometimes it’s just so hard to feel accepted,” he sobbed quietly. A million thoughts raced through Phil’s head. How a situation can change! Dan Howell was just as gay as he is. This was literally his first day and already found 3 other queers. God must be on Phil’s side this year. Phil searched for some words to say.  
“Once you come out you will discover your true self,” Phil shushed him. Phil ran his hands up and down Dan’s back but-  
“What…?” Phil whispered as he let his hands flow over the same place. There was an obvious bump there. Dan pulled away from the hug and smiled at him with his eyes filled with tears.  
“Thanks, Phil,” he said. “I really needed that. Never talk about it to anyone. Never. But I’m going out now. For a walk. Fresh air and shit. Trying to find my higher whatever-the-fuck.”  
“That’s okay, just be sure not to wake me when you come back,” Phil smiled, but in the back of his was still that bump in Dan’s back.  
“I’ll try,” Dan said and pulled on his jacket and shoes. He waved at Phil. “See you later, mate.”  
Phil smiled and waved. As soon as he closed the door, Phil grabbed his phone and opened his texting app. Wait, what was the code again? Oh, right.  
_The bird left the room!_  
I repeat  
The bird left the room!  
Phil quickly jumped up from his bed and opened Dan’s nightstand. His phone buzzed in his pocket. Text from Chris!  
_That’s not the code_  
Phil sighed annoyed.  
_just come to my dorm, you ass_  
He put his phone back in his pocket and started rummaging in Dan’s nightstand. A few books, condoms and a flashlight. Phil sighed as he found nothing interesting and kept on searching until he heard a few knocks on the door. Phil kept digging into the nightstand  
“Come in, Chris!” Phil yelled without looking back. The door slowly opened.  
“Hey, I just forgot my- why are you looking through my stuff,” Dan’s voice erupted from behind Phil. Phil jumped up, eyes wide. He opened his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come.  
“I… I… uh…” Phil stuttered. Dan frowned. Footsteps were nearing the door.  
“Hey, Phil, found anything weird yet-,” Chris walked in, eyes widening when he saw Dan standing next to Phil. “Oh, hello Dan.”  
“What are you doing here?” Dan asked suspicious. “Why are you looking through my stuff?”  
An awkward silence fell. Chris and Phil glanced at each other, but not knowing what to say. Dan’s eyes slowly turned more and more angry. He glared at both of them. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by footsteps that were approaching.  
“Hey, you told me he was gone! I can find him anywhere,” PJ’s voice neared and Phil just wanted to hit himself in the face. “How can we investigate if I can’t follow-”  
PJ stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the three boys in the room. They all glanced at each other. For a few moments. Until Dan spoke up.  
“What the fuck were you planning on doing? I leave my room for one second, and when I come back, ‘someone’ is rummaging through my stuff! And apparently someone else was coming to help him! And get ready for the last one, guys. One was planning on following me when I was going for a walk!” Dan said angrily, every time pointing at the person he was talking about. “I don’t know _what_ is wrong with you guys, but you better stay the hell away from me from now on. And if you don’t, this’ll lead to some serious injuries.”  
PJ slowly backed away out of the room, and ran for it. Phil cursed PJ in his head. Just running away from your responsibilities. Chris slowly backed away too, towards the door. He looked at his wrist.  
“Oh! It’s already that late! Sorry guys, got to go,” Chris said and ran out of the room, leaving Phil alone with Dan. Dan glared at Phil. He smiled apologetically.  
“You’re not even wearing a watch!” Phil yelled at him as he ran away, leaving him and Dan alone. Dan bawled his fists, feeling them heat up, but he didn’t care. He narrowed his eyes at Phil who was completely flustered and red.  
“So…” Phil started. “What did you forget?”  
“My faith in you,” Dan said angrily. “What were you doing?”  
“Nothing,” Phil lied and walked to his bed. Dan snatched his wrist and pulled him back.  
“Don’t lie to me,” Dan whispered furiously. “I’m going to give you one last chance. What. Were. You. Doing?”  
“Ow! You’re hurting me! Let me go, Dan!” Phil screamed as he felt his flesh burn. Dan immediately let go, eyes widened and filled with guilt. Phil looked at his wrist that was now bright red. He ran one finger over the what seemed to be a burn. He flinched as the pain ran through him and looked up at Dan with terrified eyes.  
“Just tell me what you did,” Dan said quietly. Phil sighed and looked at the ground. Confession time.  
“We thought you were behaving weird, so we were going to find out why,” Phil said shameful. Dan frowned.  
“What do you mean by ‘weird’?” Dan asked nervously. Phil raised an eyebrow. He really is hiding _something_.  
“With your back,” Phil explains, still feeling the burn on his wrist. “Every time your back touches something, your eyes fill with fear, you look around if someone is looking, and walk away with your back facing the wall. We wanted to know if something is up. And then there was that spray-can…”  
“That’s really rude, just rummaging through my stuff and following me around,” Dan said as he was slowly turning bright red. “Stop doing that.”  
“I won’t,” Phil promised and squealed when he touched the burn on his wrist again. Dan narrowed his eyes  
“I don’t trust you anymore,” he said quietly and walked to his bed. “I’m going to sleep. So keep it down.”  
“I will,” Phil said soft and walked to his bed and sat down. “Sorry for ignoring your privacy. It’s just the PJ made me believe that you were some kind of superhuman. With special powers and stuff.”  
Dan snorts.  
“You’re an idiot,” he mumbled as he took off his shirt. “And you should probably put your wrists in some cold water.”  
Phil glanced at his back. To his surprise, it looked normal. Like any other back. Slightly tanned, a few molls, muscles, just a normal and really beautiful back. Phil abruptly shook his head. Beautiful? He quickly turned around, facing the wall, and started scrolling through his Tumblr dashboard, trying not to think about Dan. He heard a heavy sigh coming from the other side of the room and a bed creaked. Phil tried to relax.  
“I can’t believe you did that, Phil,” Dan’s soft voice echoed through the room. “I actually was starting to trust you.”  
Phil wanted to say something. That he was sorry. That he understands how Dan feels. But for some reason, his mouth won’t open. The words wouldn’t come. Phil bit his lower lip as he started feeling more and more guilty.  
“Why would you do that, Phil,” Dan asked quietly. There was pain in his voice. Dan would regret, and definitely deny, saying something like that in that way. Making him sound vulnerable. Breakable. Not like the Dan Howell the whole school thinks to know. But Phil knows better than that now. The boy who bullied him and made him feel miserable, is actually just really kind. But too shy to show that most of the time. Wanting to show everyone you can’t mess with him, whilst deep down every little bad thing people say about him makes him cry. He’s actually so easily hurt, but will probably never admit it.  
“I’m sorry,” Phil said quietly and squeezed his eyes shut, ignoring the burn. “I’m so sorry. Forgive me when you’re ready. Goodnight, Bear.”  
“You too, Lion.”


	5. Chapter 5

Phil stared at the ceiling, not even bother trying to sleep. He has been trying for hours now. He even went to the bathroom a few times to put his wrist in some water. And he was tired. He was _so_ tired. But not form a lack of sleep, but from thinking. How did that burn happen on his wrist? Is it normal that someone squeezes you really tight, it burns like this? And _why_ did he rummage through his stuff? He should never have done that. He finally found closure after 2 years of horror, and he all ruined it now. Phil covered his face with his hands and sighed deeply. He didn’t care that tomorrow would be the first day of class. He doesn’t even have to attend class to get an A. Phil never skipped class before, but he knew how tired he was going to be tomorrow. He just didn’t care. Phil could easily look around him, as his eyes adjusted to the dark and the window didn’t have any curtains and was open. A soft breeze sometimes filled the room, making Phil shudder. It was a breeze in between excuse-me-let-me-just-take-your-hat-and-place-it-on-the-other-side-of-England and oops-don’t-mind-me-just-passing-by kind of wind. The moonlight shone through the window, directly onto Dan. He looked so beautiful. So peaceful. It was so quiet. Well, of course it was. It was 5AM for fucks’ sake. Every human with a normal sleep schedule was vast asleep. And surprisingly enough, Dan was too. Every now and then, a little snore or groan would escape the boy’s mouth. Phil showed a tiny smile when he heard Dan make a little noise and turn around in bed, followed by hearing that his duvet fell off the bed onto the floor. Phil turned his head, seeing that Dan apparently brought a blanket too. Phil couldn’t see it a hundred percent clear, but the top was purple-ish and it slowly faded into a soft blue colour. Dan snuggled into it with a pleasant smile. Phil narrowed his eyes. It looked _really_ soft. And fluffy. Phil felt an urge to stand up and touch it. It just looked so soft. So _so_ soft. Phil felt enchanted by how beautiful Dan looked underneath it. Eyes closed, mouth slightly hanging open. So pretty. Before Phil knew it, he had thrown his duvet aside and slowly stood up from his bed. His bare feet padded over the cold tiles and walked their way until he crouched down next to Dan. He reached out his hand to the colourful blanket that was covering Dan. Phil hovered his hand above it a few seconds. He felt his urge to touch it get stronger and stronger. It seemed ages, but soon Phil’s hand collided with the soft fabric. Phil stroked it a few times. Phil smiled. It really was soft! And beautiful, and-  
“What are you doing?” Dan’s husky sleeping voice murmured, glanced up and their eyes met. His eyes widened as he glanced from Phil to his hand. Phil’s eyes widened too and he quickly retreated his hand. “Oh, shit.”  
“I was just-” Phil started, until Dan’s hand hovered in front of his face and sudden tiredness fell over him. Phil’s eyelids became heavier and he was struggling to keep his eyes open. He slowly sank onto his bum on the floor. Dan quickly reached out and Phil grabbed his arm.   
“Sleep, Phil,” Dan whispered. “This isn’t real.”  
“What’s happening…? Dan… I…” Phil said, his voice fading slowly until his eyelids became too heavy to hold up. Phil slowly closed his eyes and Dan felt him relax. Dan pulled himself on his feet, picked the sleeping Phil up bridal-style and carried him onto his bed. He carefully tugged him in and sat down next to him.   
“Why do you have to be such a twit, Phil,” Dan sighed as he examined Phil’s features. He gently caressed Phil’s cheek. “Such an observant and smart twit. And beautiful.”  
Dan leaned down and planted a soft kiss on Phil’s forehead. Phil groaned and turned his entire body into a ball.   
“I still don’t forgive you for rummaging through my stuff, asshole,” Dan smiled and stood up. The spell sucked out his energy and he plopped down onto his bed. He wrapped himself in his coloured ‘blanket’, immediately falling asleep.

Phil slowly opened his eyes, meeting the sunlight. Phil immediately closed his eyes again and turned around in bed and groaned, trying to fall asleep again. So. Tired.  
Wait.  
Phil shot up in his bed. His eyes wide open. What time is it? Why didn’t his alarm go off? Class! Phil practically leaped out of his bed, tripping over his own legs and falling face first onto the floor.   
“Keep it down,” Phil heard Dan murmur. Phil scrawled on his feet and glared at Dan. Phil shot in his clothes and exited the room, not saying a word to his roommate. Dan huffed and turned around in bed. He didn’t feel like going to class today. Nothing unusual really. Dan laid on his back and stared at the ceiling. He thought about the previous night. Well, a few hours ago, actually. Dan sighed heavily and thanked everything and everyone for remembering how to put people asleep. He learned that movement ages ago and was now so happy he still knows how to use it. Otherwise it would go seriously wrong.  
“I have to be more careful,” Dan whispered to himself as he rolled himself up in his duvet that he picked up from the floor, facing the wall. Escaping from the horribly bright sunlight. Suddenly the words of his mother echoed in his head. _No relationships! That is way too dangerous!_. He swallowed when he remembered how his lips had touched Phil’s forehead a few hours ago. He wasn’t allowed to fall for a human. Especially not a human _boy_. But he didn’t like Phil, did he? What did it even mean, liking someone? Phil _was_ really pretty. And funny, nice, and they shared the same interests. Dan shook the thoughts out of his head. No. this is forbidden.

Roughly 3 hours later, the dorm room door opened and Phil burst in.  
“You!” Phil yelled and pointed at Dan. Dan slowly turned around and sat up in bed, blinking against the bright light that shone through the window. “It’s your fault I was late today!”  
“Why?” Dan asked annoyed and laid back down. He pulled the duvet up to his shoulders and turned away from Phil.   
“You messed with my alarm!” Phil accused Dan angrily and folded his arms.   
“What makes you think I did,” Dan mumbled, rolling his eyes, as he tried to fall asleep again.   
“I don’t know! Something says you have something to do with it,” Phil responded annoyed. “I just know it.”  
“I cannot physically roll my eyes back further, Phil,” Dan sighed as he rolled up in a ball.   
“Get out of bed, you lazy shit,” Phil chuckled and grabbed Dan’s duvet, ripping it off his body. Dan screamed and shivered when he felt the sudden coldness on his almost bare body, wearing nothing except for his boxers. Phil bit his lip as he admired Dan’s body. Dan sat up and snatched his duvet back with an angry look on his face.  
“Not cool, man!” Dan yelled angrily as he wrapped himself in it again. “And if it’ll make you feel better, I was late for class as well.”  
“You didn’t even show up!” Phil exclaimed.   
“Same thing,” Dan murmured.  
“No, it’s not,” Phil yelled annoyed and let himself fall on his bed. Memories of the weird ‘dream’ he had the previous night flooded in his mind. “Hey, Dan.”  
Dan let out a long ‘ugh’ and turned around. “What is it, Lion?”  
Phil swallowed and blushed when he heard his nickname. He looked at the ground with a shy smile.   
“I had this _really_ weird dream last night,” Phil started.   
“And you’re telling me this because…” Dan sighed, feeling his insides turn. What if Phil remembers everything from last night?   
“You were in it,” Phil said. Dan’s head jolted up and his scared face slowly turned into a smirk.   
“Was I?” Dan asked seductively, bit his lip and winked. Phil clenched his teeth together as he turned bright red.   
“Not like that!” Phil said annoyed. “You wish, Howell! Or should I say: _Bear_?”  
“Fine by me,” Dan shrugged. “I don’t feel embarrassed by it.”  
“Neither do I if you call me Lion,” Phil claimed as he sat up, feeling his cheeks burn.   
“Then why are you so red,” Dan asked and laid back down in bed with a sigh.   
“I’m not red,” Phil mumbled. “Shut up.”  
“You’re the one talking,” Dan shot back. “Keep it down, I want to sleep.”  
“You have been sleeping all day!” Phil exclaimed.   
“Because I can, so I will,” Dan sighed. “Please don’t criticize things I do for fun.”  
“Fun,” Phil huffed and kicked his shoes off.   
“Bear?” Phil asked shyly, feeling slightly uncomfortable calling him that.   
“Hmm?” Dan asked.   
“Do you want to talk?” Phil asked with a gentle smile.   
“Do you mean like, chitchat?” Dan asked and raised an eyebrow. Phil gave him a small nod. “Can we watch a movie instead.”  
“Sure,” Phil shrugged, acting as if he doesn’t care, even though he does. Oh boy, does he. Who wouldn’t care if a beautiful boy wanted to watch a movie with him. Phil quickly grabbed his laptop off his nightstand and placed it on his lap. Dan stood up with the duvet still around him as he walked to Phil’s bed and quickly climbed in, forgetting Dan was still wearing nothing apart from his boxers. Phil shuffled aside to make room for Dan, but they were still tightly pressed together. But neither of them minded, really.   
“What do you want to watch?” Dan asked, barely even a whisper. Phil shrugged with a shy smile.   
“You choose,” he said quietly and turned the laptop to him. “I have an illegal downloading program.”  
“Badass,” Dan joked and scrolled through the movies. He stopped when a certain horror film caught his eye and he clicked it. He turned the laptop to Phil and pointed at the screen. “This one.”  
“Insidious?” Phil asked, unsure if he wanted to watch a horror movie. “Uhm, okay.”  
“Is Lester scared?” Dan mocked with a grin getting elbowed by Phil.   
“Scary films just really freak me out sometimes,” Phil admitted with a blush. “But luckily I am brave.”  
“I’m here,” Dan said with a gentle smile. “You don’t have to be brave.”  
“Thanks, that helps,” Phil chuckled and clicked the play button.

“Phil?” a voice from the other side of the door sounded, a few knocks followed. “Phil can we come in? It’s PJ!”  
“And Chris!” another voice called. The door handle got pushed down. “It’s open, Peej. Maybe they’re not here. Investigation time.”  
“No, Chris. That’s rude,” PJ insisted stern. Chris sighed annoyed, muttering a quiet ‘it was you’re idea in the first place’.  
“Let’s just see,” Chris said and they slowly came in. Meeting the two boys sleeping in bed together with a laptop on their laps. PJ raised an eyebrow.  
“What the…?” Chris whisper-shouted surprised. Dan’s head was lying on Phil’s chest and Phil had wrapped his arms around Dan with his cheek resting against Dan’s head.  
Phil slowly opened his eyes and blinked a couple of time because of the light. They must’ve fallen asleep... Phil slowly looked up, seeing Chris and PJ’s slightly disturbed looks. Dan had his head on Phil’s chest and Phil could feel Dan’s bare legs tangled around his. The credits were rolling on the screen. Phil glanced at Dan who still was peacefully sleeping on his rising and falling chest.  
“Oh, hey guys,” Phil whispered, not wanting to wake Dan. Phil yawned as he slowly sat up, gently holding Dan’s head. Dan groaned quietly and dug his face in Phil’s chest. The duvet fell down a bit, exposing Dan’s naked back. Phil glanced at it. It was normal. They were just being paranoid.  
“Sorry, were we interrupting something?” PJ asked awkwardly as he shifted on his feet.  
“We were just watching a movie,” Phil quickly whispered with a reddening face. “And apparently we fell asleep. And keep it down, don’t wake Dan.”  
“Asleep. Now?” PJ asked and frowned.  
“Yeah, I didn’t have a good night sleep anyways,” Phil sighed as he scratched the back of his head. An awkward silence fell. Chris and Peej shared some confused looks.  
“Well, what are you guys doing here?” Phil whispered, breaking the silence.  
“We were just wondering where you were, as you missed dinner,” Chris whispered back. Phil sighed and gently laid back on the bed. Dan made a little cute sound as he wrapped his arms around Phil’s chest and snuggled his face even deeper into it. Chris suppressed a laugh when he saw Phil’s red face.  
“Shit, we missed dinner,” Phil whispered annoyed.   
“It was gross anyway,” PJ shrugged.  
“Get used to it, new kid,” Chris elbowed PJ laughing.  
“Shush!” Phil shushed and pointed at the sleeping boy on his chest with a warning face.  
“I thought you two were fighting over yesterday evening?” PJ whispered annoyed. Phil shrugged.  
“We made up this afternoon,” Phil explained quietly. “He’s actually kind of cool, I don’t know. We like all the same bands, I guess that’s pretty awesome.”  
“So… are you two going to fuck?” Chris mocked. PJ chuckled when he saw Phil’s face.  
“Swear to god, if Dan wasn’t sleeping on top of my right now, I would’ve kicked your ass,” Phil whisper-shouted. Another little moan escaped the younger boy’s mouth as he tightened his grip on Phil’s chest.  
“I’m sorry for saying this, but that is just so fucking cute,” PJ exclaimed, pointing at Dan. “Just LOOK at that. He’s lying on your chest like that. And his arms around you. That is just so beautiful. I want that.”  
“Keep it down!” Phil whisper-shouted. “Don’t wake him!”  
“Well, have fun you two,” Chris chuckled and winked. “See you maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow.”  
“Okay, bye guys,” Phil whispered. Chris and Peej raised their hands to wave and exited the room. Phil sighed as he looked at the sleeping boy. Phil slowly pulled the duvet up to Dan’s shoulders so he wouldn’t get cold and gently wrapped his arms around his bare torso. Phil buried his nose in Dan curling brown hair and he deeply inhaled his scent. He then gently pressed a soft kiss on his head.  
“Sleep well, bear,” Phil whispered and closed his eyes, not caring that he was still wearing his normal clothes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> smut

Phil slowly opened his eyes. The room was pitch black, accept for the one stroke of moonlight that shone through the dorm room window onto Dan’s empty bed. Where was he? Phil sighed and wanted to turn around when he felt a weight on his chest. Oh, right. He glanced down and saw that Dan was still fast asleep on his chest. _How_ much does this guy sleep. The younger boy moaned quietly as he pressed his entire body against Phil, fingers tangling in his shirt. Phil’s eyes widened as he felt a hardness against his thigh. He felt Dan gently grind against him as he let out another one of those beautiful little moans. Phil clenched his teeth together as he realised what was happening. Dan was having a wet dream. And it had to happen now. This night of all nights.  
“Dan…” Phil whispered and gently nudged his arm. “Dan, wake up…”  
“Phil…” Dan quietly moaned. Phil felt himself redden. Oh no.  
“Oh, god. Dan, please wake up,” Phil whispered desperately. Phil considered shaking him around but quickly thought about what would happen if Dan did wake up. That would be _so_ awkward. If Phil just tries to ignore it. And goes back to sleep, nothing will happen. Phil closed his eyes, ignoring everything. Even Dan’s grinding that started to get harder against his thigh.  
“Phil… yes…” Dan moaned quietly. “Mmm… yeah, like that, Phil…”  
Phil squeezed his eyes tighter shut and desperately tried to pay attention to anything else accept for his blood rushing South. Phil felt Dan’s hands roaming his clothed chest, moaning quietly. Phil squealed as he felt Dan’s hand grazing his lower stomach. No, god, please no. Dan pressed his body harder against Phil and his hands started to explore his body. Phil’s breath hitched when Dan’s hand swiftly stroked Phil’s hardening length. Phil accidentally bucked his hips in Dan’s hand with a groan.  
“Dan…” Phil breathed shocked. Phil panted as Dan’s hand started stroking him harder. Phil squealed and arched his back. He didn’t want Dan to get him off in his sleep, it just felt _so_ good… No. This wasn’t right.  
“Dan, wake up,” Phil said stern and quickly sat up, causing Dan to fall off Phil’s chest. Dan woke up with a shock and jolted up, heavy breathing. He sighed relieved when he saw Phil. Dan frowned when he noticed that Phil was panting and completely flustered and red. He sighed and slowly laid down again. Dan suddenly noticed how tight his boxers felt and widened his eyes.  
“Oh no…” Dan exclaimed quietly starting to get red. “Please, don’t tell me I just… Please… I didn’t… did I?”  
“You did,” Phil whispered. Dan buried his face in his hands.  
“Oh my god,” he whispered. “I’m sorry… this is so awkward.”  
“It’s… uhm… it’s okay,” Phil chuckled nervously. “I mean, we all get that… sometimes.”  
“Yeah, but did this happen to you when you were sleeping in only your boxers together with a really cute guy you just befriended?” Dan exclaimed and immediately covered his mouth, eyes widening.  
“You think I’m cute?” Phil mocked with a grin. Dan nudged his elbow.  
“You know you’re cute,” he said quietly and looked up at Phil. Phil suddenly noticed how close they were. Why did he notice that?  
“Not cuter than you,” Phil whispered and slowly leaned forward. He saw Dan widening his eyes for a second and then he closed them, leaning forward too. Their lips collided as if they were made for each other, firmly brushing against each other. Dan moaned in Phil’s mouth as the kissed they shared started to become more and more desperate. Phil slowly turned to Dan and he pressed their body’s together. Dan shyly started grinding their hips together, immediately getting a response from Phil who arched his back. Dan whimpered as he felt Phil’s length pressing against his.  
“Phil,” he breathed into Phil’s mouth. Phil seized his chance and invaded Dan’s mouth by pressing his tongue in, intertwining with Dan’s. They both moaned as they grinded against each other. Dan tugged on Phil’s shirt and Phil pulled back immediately, discarding his shirt on the ground. Phil hovered above Dan, placing his leg between Dan’s thighs, lowered himself and started kissing Dan’s neck, causing him to moan loudly. Phil kissed, sucked and occasionally gently bit his neck, covering him with his marks.  
“P-Phil…” Dan whimpered and bucked his hips up.  
“What is it, baby,” Phil hummed against Dan’s warm neck. Dan moaned loudly.  
“Just touch me…” Dan pleaded, “Touch me anywhere…”  
Phil chuckled and ran his hands over Dan’s chest and stomach. Phil pinched and circled Dan’s nipples, causing him to moan.  
“So needy…” Phil hummed with a grin. “So desperate…”  
“Phil, please…” Dan begged and arched his back. “I need you…”  
With that, Phil lowered his hands further down. One on his hip, the other one started stroking Dan through his boxers. Dan moaned loudly, bucking up in Phil’s hand. Phil firmly pushed his hips down onto the bed.  
“Hips down,” Phil spoke dominant. Dan whimpered as he tried to control himself. “Patience, baby.”  
Dan soon found his way to Phil’s jeans and swiftly undid them. Phil quickly kicked them off and eagerly connected their lips again. Phil grinded harshly down onto Dan whilst stroking him. They moaned in each other’s mouth.  
“Dan, you’re so beautiful…” Phil groaned and started kissing his jaw. Dan chuckled.  
“Says you,” he smiled and his hands roamed down onto Phil’s hard on through his boxers. Dan stroked him firmly and felt Phil groan against his jaw. Dan slid his hand into Phil’s boxers and firmly grabbed him.  
“Dan…” Phil groaned and sucked another mark on Dan’s skin. Phil slid his hand in Dan’s boxers too and slowly started pumping him.  
“Phil, yes!” Dan gasped loudly and squeezed his eyes shut. Dan pushed Phil’s boxers down, letting Phil’s cock spring free. “Please, fuck me…”  
“You’re such a slut, aren’t you, Dan,” Phil chuckled and ran his thumb over Dan’s slit, receiving a moan from him.  
“I want to feel your cock inside of me, Phil…” Dan moaned out, squeezing his eyes shut. “Let me ride you…”  
Phil slid his hand out of Dan’s boxers, sat up and got off Dan. Dan whimpered at the loss of friction and sat up, connecting their lips. Phil slowly laid down on the bed as Dan straddled his hips.  
“Did you bring any lube?” Dan asked shyly.  
“Bedside drawer,” Phil chuckled and Dan reached for the drawer, getting a little pink bottle out. He held it up and raised his eyebrows.  
“Really? _Cherry_?” Dan chuckled.  
“Shut up,” Phil chuckled back and snatched the lube bottle out of his hand. “I like cherry. Gimme that.”  
Phil coated his fingers and pressed one against Dan’s entrance.  
“I don’t know if you felt this before, but-”  
“Of course I did, Phil,” Dan chuckled. “I’m not twelve. I finger myself.”  
“Then I guess you can handle this,” Phil chuckled and, without warning, he pushed two fingers in. He started pumping them in and out of Dan. He moaned loudly as he felt Phil’s fingers brush against his prostate.  
“Yes, Phil! Right there!” Dan moaned loudly. “More!”  
“You’re such a slut, Dan,” Phil chuckled and pushed another finger in.  
“Phil, I want _you_ inside of me,” Dan moaned. “Please…”  
Phil pulled his fingers out and grabbed the bottle of lube. He coated himself with a luxurious amount and Dan hovered above him, his hands on Phil’s chest for support.  
“Ready?” Phil asked and Dan slowly sank down onto Phil’s length, causing them both to moan. Phil laid his hands on Dan’s hips and looked up at him with a reassuring smile. Dan waited a few moments to adjust, but was too impatient and started rolling his hips.  
“Shit,” Phil moaned. “You feel so fucking good, Dan.”  
“You’re so big,” Dan moaned back. “I feel so full…”  
Dan raised his body until just Phil’s tip was still inside of him and slammed himself back down and started to repeat the motion. Phil started meeting him by bucking his hips. Dan slowly changed the angle every time until a big shock of pleasure ran through him making him scream out. Phil felt Dan’s hands burn into his chest.  
“You feel so fucking good, Phil,” Dan moaned loudly. Phil dug his fingernails into Dan’s hips and groaned.  
“Shit, you’re so tight,” he growled low, he wrapped his slender fingers around Dan’s length that seemed oddly hot and started pumping.  
“I’m so close!” Dan moaned loudly and fucked himself harder onto Phil, abusing his prostate.  
“Cum for me, baby,” Phil groaned husky. Dan came with a shout spraying white streaks of cum all over his and Phil’s chests. Phil squeezed his eyes shut as he felt Dan’s almost burning hole clench around him, cumming deep inside of him. Phil slowly opened his eyes, stopped dead in his tracks and stared at Dan with wide open eyes, well actually the space behind Dan. A gigantic set of feathered wings were stretched out behind him, almost hitting the closet behind them. The tops of the wings were a deep purple colour and the lower you went, it slowly faded into a shade of blue. However Dan didn’t seem to notice, he got off Phil and collapsed next to him on his stomach, not thinking about how he just stained the bed sheets with his cum. He sighed heavily and looked up at Phil with a gentle smile. He frowned as soon as he saw Phil’s wide eyes.  
“What’s wrong?” Dan asked timidly, afraid that he regretted everything. But suddenly he felt that the relieve he felt didn’t just come from his dick and he widened his eyes. Dan pulled up his boxer, sat up and crawled backwards until he fell of the bed.  
“Don’t look at me!” Dan exclaimed and covered his face with his arms, his wings hovered around him, hiding most of his body. Phil slowly sat up, eyes blown wide, but not of terror, it seemed. Dan backed away until his back hit his bed. He wrapped his wings around his body and buried his face in his knees. Dan suddenly jumped up and ran towards the window. He opened it to the widest and leaned out of it. Phil’s eyes widened even more and reached out to him.  
“Dan, no!” Phil shouted as he saw Dan launch himself out of the window. Phil quickly pulled his boxers up and leaped out of the bed. He ran towards the window, leaned out of it and looked down, not seeing Dan on the ground.  
“Dan!” Phil screamed loudly and looked around a few times as he shuddered when felt the cold breeze roam his chest. He narrowed his eyes as he saw something disappear into the horizon. Phil blinked his eyes as he saw the sun was already rising and walked back to the bed. He plopped down and held his head in his hands. Did that just _really_ happen? He had wings? He _jumped_ out of the window? Had the burn on his wrist something to do with this?  
“What the hell,” Phil muttered and laid back onto the bed, wiping the cum off his stomach. He kept his eyes on the window, expecting to see Dan’s face pop up and greet him with that goofy smile of his. But it didn’t happen.

 

Dan wiped the tears from his eyes as he shot through the sky, going faster than ever. He shuddered as the wind snatched his body and attacked. Dan didn’t care where he was going. He was just going. Anywhere away from Phil. Dan had ignored all the rules and fell in love with a human. He had had intercourse with a human. And he hoped that maybe, the same human wanted a relationship with him even though he wasn’t allowed to. He couldn’t go home. His mum would never accept this. He flapped his wings faster, increasing his speed. How long had he been flying? An hour? An hour and a half? The sun was piercing into his back. He wasn’t allowed to feel anything for a human. Out of sight, out of heart, right? He felt the last bit of seep from his body and he crashed into a pasture filled with cows. A few of them looked up for a second and the turned their attention to the grass again.  
“I still have to work on my landings,” Dan muttered to himself as he scrambled up, groaning as he saw some shit stains on his legs. “Oh, gross.”  
He wrapped his wings around his cold body and shuddered. He could’ve at least grabbed some clothes with him. He trotted towards one of the cows and leaned against it. Dan loved how cows literally couldn’t care less about anything. Dan warmed himself to the warm fur of the animal until he remembered-  
“Right!” Dan smiled and looked at his hands. He can burn shit! He took a few steps away from the cow, bawled his hands into fists and tensed his muscles. Dan narrowed his eyes and concentrated on fire. Heat. Warmth. “Come on…”  
Nothing.  
Literally nothing.  
Dan frowned.  
“Are you kidding, mate!” he exclaimed and tried it again. And again. And _again_. Dan sighed frustrated, followed by a string of curse words. He kicked a piece of wood, despite wearing no shoes and being met by horrible pain, and was surprised that it caught on fire. He jumped back and yelped. He then stood up straight and smiled cocky. He put his hands on his hips.  
“That was very well done,” he chuckled. “If I say so myself.”  
He sat in front of the burning log and wrapped his wings around it, savouring the warmth, so it wouldn’t get blown out by the wind. His hands floated in front of the fire, warming them. He thought of Phil. _His_ Phil. At least, he wanted and hoped he was his. Even though he wasn’t allowed to. The thought of Phil being with someone else made him want to throw up. Dan was disgusted by the possessiveness he felt. It was forbidden to feel possessive over a human. People always tell you to follow your heart, but what do you do when it tells you the wrong thing?


	7. Chapter 7

“Phil?” PJ asked from the other side of the door and knocked for the 3rd time. “Phil, open up. You missed breakfast. Are you okay?”  
“I’m fine, go away,” Phil yelled, keeping his eyes on the open window. He had been staring at it for a few hours now. But Dan didn’t come back. And Phil was doubting everything he had done. Why did he flee? Did he regret what they had done? He must be so cold… Just out there in his boxers…  
“Phil open the goddamn door,” PJ answered stubborn and banged on the door.  
“Brendon Urie told me to close it,” Phil responded mumbling and jumped up from his bed. He glanced out of the window as he walked towards the door, sighing deeply when he turned the lock. PJ immediately burst in, his face was completely flustered and red. Phil narrowed his eyes and examined him.  
“What’s wrong? Why did you miss breakfast, mate?” PJ asked concerned and closed the door behind him. “Are you okay?”  
“I’m just really tired,” Phil lied and plopped down onto his bed, wrapping himself in his duvet and shuddering when he felt a cold breeze. “Didn’t sleep well.”  
“At least close the fucking window,” PJ sighed and trotted in front of it. “It’s fucking freezing.”  
“No, don’t do that!” Phil yelled, jumping up from his bed and snatched PJ’s wrist, pulling him back. PJ slowly raised an eyebrow. “I mean… you’re right. Close it. Sure.”  
Phil cleared his throat and sat down on his bed again, his duvet around his elbows, as PJ closed the window. He slowly turned to Phil.  
“What are thoooooose,” PJ asked and pointed at Phil’s exposed chest. He raised an eyebrow and looked down.  
“What the-”  
On his chest were two big red hand marks. Phil traced a finger over the handprints and flinched.  
“Ow!” Phil exclaimed and grimaced. “It burns!”  
“Okay, listen to this,” PJ started and made a big hand gesture. “Demons.”  
“Shut up,” Phil chuckled and froze when he realised how those got there. Images of last night flashed through his mind. When Dan was riding him, and leaning on him with his hands on his chest. It burned. They were right all along. Dan _was_ inhuman. Well, he wasn’t entirely human. Maybe Dan was the only human and was the rest of the school inhuman. You can always turn the tables like that. PJ reached out to touch Phil’s chest but he swat his hand away.  
“That will hurt me!” Phil exclaimed offended. PJ shrugged annoyed as Phil stared out of the window.  
“You seem really absent, are you sure you’re okay?” PJ asked timidly and Phil quickly turned his face to him and nodded with a gentle smile.  
“Sit with me,” Phil said and patted the place next to him, debating if he should tell what happened. Maybe just a little bit. “Me and Dan hooked up last night.”

Dan’s eyes shot open when he heard screaming from behind him. He was still in the middle of a pasture, his wings wrapped around him like a duvet, when he woke up. He jumped up and turned around, meeting an old man in his fifties a few feet away. He was pointing at Dan with wide eyes, slowly backing away shakily.  
“W-what are you?” the man asked petrified, mouth hanging wide open.  
“Oh, shit,” Dan cursed spreading his wings and jumping up, shooting up in the sky, leaving the man on the ground.  
“An angel! An angel!” he heard the man shout up at him as he clapped his wings as fast as possible as he went higher and higher. A string of curse words left Dan’s mouth when the cold wind grabbed Dan’s body, taking away his body heat. Dan slowly lowered his speed and soon was hovering in the air, shivering because of the coldness. A thought shot through his mind. He could go back to Phil. But Phil would find him a freak. Phil would tell everyone, causing Dan to lose all his friends. Well, the little he had. He will end up alone. His mum would disown him as soon as she found out that her own son had fallen for a human, which also happened to be a boy. Why did this all happen? He couldn’t go back. Of course, he couldn’t go back! His whole life was in pieces! All because of one beautiful boy that will always hunt his thoughts.

“You did _WHAT_!?” PJ almost screamed with wide eyes and covered his mouth with his hand.  
“I don’t know how!” Phil defended himself. “And it was great! And-”  
“Hold your horses!” PJ interrupted. “Dan likes _boys_?”  
“No, he likes girls,” Phil sighed annoyed, seeing PJ frown. “That’s why he came screaming my name last night, PJ.”  
“TMI, dude. I just didn’t suspect it, you know,” PJ sighed. “He seems so _manly_ …”  
“And I don’t?” Phil chuckled as he straightened himself up.  
“Not really, Phil,” PJ sighed and chuckled when he saw Phil pout. “Let’s not get side-tracked. You performed a sex on him?”  
“Yes, PJ. I ‘performed a sex on him’,” Phil laughed. “But I actually really liked it.”  
“And it was your first time, right?” PJ asked with a grin.  
“Yes,” Phil answered quietly. “And he was special, and I don’t regret it.”  
“Does he?” PJ asked and raised an eyebrow. Phil shrugged. “Speaking about Dan, where is he, actually?”  
“Eeh… Going for a walk,” Phil lied and bit his lip. “We were both a bit shocked, you know… But please don’t start telling the whole school. Dan isn’t ready to be outed yet.”  
“Yeah, no. Of course,” PJ said quickly. “But you guys _really_ fucked? Wow, how big was-”  
“It wasn’t fucking,” Phil sighed. “It was _making love_.”  
“Bitch please,” PJ answered and raised his eyebrows. “You literally hated him a few days ago.”  
“Times change,” Phil shrugged and stood up, walking towards the window.  
“So you two are a thing now? You two are a couple?” PJ asked curiously with a smirk. Phil shrugged.   
“Now, could you politely fuck off?” Phil sighed and pointed at the door. “Too many questions for the early morning.”  
“Someone’s on their man-period,” PJ joked. “But I don’t mind. Chris and I were going to watch a movie after class. We already made a fort out of mattresses and duvets. Want to join the ‘fort of love’?”  
“ ‘Fort of love’? No, thanks,” Phil laughed and let PJ out. “You guys will probably watch some stupid film anyway. Like Wall-E.”  
“Chris loved that movie,” PJ chuckled and Phil slowly closed the door, but PJ quickly stuck his foot inside.  
“See you in class?” PJ asked expectantly, his eyes pleading.  
“I don’t know,” Phil shrugged and glanced at the window behind him. “Got a lot on my mind today.”  
“Uhm, okay then,” PJ sighed and left. Phil slumped to his closet and pulled a shirt over his head. Not even bothering wrestling himself in a pair of skinny jeans, he sauntered back to his bed and let himself fall face first onto it, he pulled his duvet over his body. What if Dan was never coming back? What if he regretted it that much? Or was so ashamed about his superhuman powers? Did he burn his chest on purpose? Or his wrist?  
Phil was lost in his thoughts until he got interrupted by a deafening crash of something bursting through the window.  
Phil swore he didn’t let out the girliest shriek ever.  
Glass shattering everywhere. Phil thought fast and protected his head by pulling his duvet over his face, but couldn’t defend one of his arms. A shot of pain ran through his body and he felt his warm liquid seep over his arm.  
He heard a groan. Phil slowly peeked over his duvet and saw a certain brown haired boy sprawled in the oddest angle on the floor, staring at him with wide eyes. Two majestic wings laying spread on the floor, attached onto his back.  
“Oh my god!” Phil exclaimed and covered his mouth with his hand, ignoring his warm blood dripping over his arm, and quickly stood up. He padded towards Dan and crouched next to him. “Are you okay?”  
“I need to work on my landings. That window was open, I swear to god,” Dan groaned and slowly sat up, scratching the back of his head. Phil glanced behind him at the broken window.  
“It is now,” he chuckled and examined Dan. He had several cuts on his body because of the glass, none of them really deep. The two colourful wings were attached onto his back and were floating behind him. Phil’s eyes widened and reached his hand towards them. He saw Dan flinch and he quickly hid behind them, looking at the ground.  
“You’re beautiful,” Phil whispered and Dan slowly lowered one of his wings, shyly making eye contact. “So beautiful.”  
“You really think so?” Dan said, barely even audible.  
“Yes, of course,” Phil whispered with a gentle smile.  
“Aren’t you freaked out, or something?” Dan asked nervously as he bit his lip, avoiding eye-contact as Phil chuckled.  
“Of course, I am,” he laughed. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to hang out with you anymore. I’m just really happy you’re back… and I was kind of hoping… that- well you know… last night and stuff… that you don’t regret it, or something...”  
“What, of course I don’t!” Dan exclaimed with a smile and wrapped his arms around Phil’s neck, causing him to fall down onto his back on the floor. Phil chuckled as he happily hugged him back.  
“So… Chris, PJ and I were right?” Phil whispered with a smirk. “You’re some sort of superhuman, or something?”  
“I can’t tell you,” Dan said quickly and pulled away from the hug, seeing the disappointed look in Phil’s eyes. He quickly leaned forward and pecked Phil’s lips, earning a smile. Together, they sat up, still surrounded by pieces of broken glass. Dan eyed Phil’s wound on his arm and looked up at him.  
“Are you okay! That looks deep as heck!” he exclaimed and snatched Phil’s arm, intensely staring at the wound.  
“I’m fine, thanks,” Phil chuckled and Dan slowly let his arm go.  
“Sure?” Dan asked timidly and cupped one of Phil’s jaws.  
“But you’re a non-human superhero angel thing, can’t you heal me or something?” Phil joked and laughed, stopping when he saw Dan raise his eyebrows and nod humbly. Phil raised his eyebrows too, giving him an unimpressed look.  
“You’re kidding, right,” he said monotonous. Dan took Phil’s arm again.  
“Nah,” Dan shrugged with a sigh and examined the wound. “I guess I can do it, it’s one of the first things you learn, so yeah. It’s pretty deep though, it will take a lot of energy. It’s also been a while since I healed someone. I think the last time was on my special exam. But I’ll do it, only if I get something in return…”  
“Shut up,” Phil chuckled as he saw Dan wink with a smirk. “Heal me, you weirdo.”  
“I want to!” Dan chuckled and wiped a droplet of blood from Phil’s arm. “But I can’t, okay. I really can’t. I’m not allowed to.”  
“You’re such an asshole aren’t you,” Phil said and narrowed his eyes. “You’re just this guy that offers some help, and then says he can’t do it anymore.”  
“I want something in return,” Dan smirked and softly pressed one finger against Phil’s wound, making him flinch.  
“Like what?” Phil asked seductively and slowly leaned forward until his lips touched Dan’s earlobe and gently kissed it. “What do you want me to do, baby?”  
“Hmm, I know something,” Dan moaned quietly and bit his lip, pulling Phil closer.  
“Yeah? Like what?” Phil whispered and slowly pushed Dan on his back, hovering above him. His hands started to roam Dan’s chest. Phil slowly connected their lips and they shared a passionate kiss. Dan moaned quietly.  
“You can clean up all the glass for me and tell the woman at the reception that it was your fault the window broke,” he whispered seductively. Phil immediately pulled away from Dan and raised his eyebrows at him. Dan was grinning like an idiot.  
“You’re kidding, right?” Phil asked and Dan shook his head.  
“Agree?” Dan asked giggling and protruded his hand. He received a few tiny punches on his shoulder from Phil causing Dan to laugh.  
“You’re such a tease, but I have an idea. We will clean up this crap together,” Phil stated and gestured at the pieces of glass. “After all, it was _your_ fault the glass shattered in the first place, you alien.”  
“I’m not an alien!” Dan said offended and folded his arms. “And you are the one who _closed_ the window!”  
“PJ closed the window,” Phil chuckled. “So we’re going to clean this shit up together, and stick a cardboard on the hole in the window, and you’ll heal me, agree? I want to know how it feels! This is just so exciting and cool!”  
“You’re such a smart being,” Dan said and smiled when he saw Phil’s enthusiasm. He grabbed Phil’s arm, raising it until it was in front of his face. “Okay, this will itch A LOT. But try to hold still, okay? Keep your shit together.”  
Phil nodded excited and stared at Dan as he covered the wound with his hand, ignoring the sting. He bit his lip as he looked from Dan’s hand to his face, and Dan’s hand again.  
“Ready?” Dan asked reassuringly and Phil immediately nodded. Dan chuckled at the boy’s excitement and closed his eyes. He deeply inhaled, held his breath for a few seconds, and exhaled. Phil eyed Dan’s wings that were spreading to the maximum level behind him, the tips of his primaries and secondaries (bottom feathers) lighting up. When suddenly a huge itchy feeling shot through Phil’s body, coming from his arm. Phil squealed and tried to keep his arm in place, his other arm shaking violently. He saw Dan slowly smile as the itch became worse. Suddenly, the room lit up, the source was underneath Dan’s hand, and the itchy feeling slowly faded. The light blurred and then disappeared completely. Phil’s wide eyes examined Dan as he slowly opened his eyes with a big grin plastered onto his face. He then slowly pulled his hand away from Phil’s arm.  
“No way,” Phil exclaimed as he examined his arm that looked perfectly fine. “The tips of your feathers lit up! Your hand too! How did you-”  
“I can’t tell you anything, remember,” Dan interrupted strictly and raised his eyebrows. “And neither can you! You can’t tell anyone about this. That also means Chris and PJ!”  
“Ugh, okay,” Phil sighed and stood up, brushing off his jeans. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not that I’m like, going to tell everyone that you’re some sort of angel-ish thing.”  
“You always know how to put things nicely, don’t you?” Dan chuckled. “What time is it by the way?”  
“I don’t know, early” Phil groaned, remembering he missed breakfast. He avoided stepping on all the pieces of glass and sat down on his bed, grabbing his phone. He quickly glanced at the time. “Class starts in 15 minutes. I guess we can make it.”  
“Fuck off, class is boring,” Dan sighed annoyed and stood up too, flapping his wings a few times to get rid of the pieces of glass that were laying in his way to the closet. “I’m not going.”  
“Yeah, you are,” Phil sighed and walked to his closet too, pulling out a pair of jeans. “Don’t ruin your life by never attending class. Academic success is important. ‘Swag’ isn’t going to pay the bills later.”  
“You’re an ass,” Dan chuckled and pulled out some jeans too. “It takes ages to push my wings back into my back.”  
“That sounds gross,” Phil said and laid on his back on his bed, his legs in the air, wrestling himself into his jeans. “How does it feel to have wings in your back?”  
“As if someone stacked a bunch of bricks in there,” Dan sighed. “Which is heavy. And that’s why I’m never going to weigh myself when you’re supposed to in weight-class. I always have a note ready from my mum. These wings are like 5 kilos each. But you get used to it, you know. Also, when you have them crammed against the back of your ribs and spine, it’s _really_ hard to keep them inside all the time. You’re back is constantly tensed, because when you relax these motherfuckers jumped out. So that’s why they appeared yesterday when I, you know…”  
“Came,” Phil ended his sentence, causing Dan to chuckle. “I’m really sorry for being _that_ guy, but what exactly are we?”  
“Whatever you want,” Dan said quietly and avoided eye-contact as Phil looked at the ground.  
“Well… I want you to be my boyfriend,” Phil stated confident, causing Dan to jolt his head up in the middle of his pulling-your-jeans-over-your-ass process. Dan wobbled in his position and quickly grabbed the handle of the closet, looking up at Phil with big eyes.  
“What, really?” he asked with a huge smile. Phil gave him a shy nod and a gentle smile. “Yes! Yes, I want to be your boyfriend!”  
“Really? I thought that last night, you regretted it so you… you know…” Phil beamed and motioned towards the window. Dan chuckled and shrugged.  
“I think we were both in shock, you know,” he smiled and pulled his jeans over his bum. “Now I have to push these shits back inside of me, which kind of sounds weird, but you know what I mean.”  
“How are you going to get that done, and get in class in time,” Phil asked grinning as he straightened his shirt.  
“I’m not. Just give me some time, okay,” Dan laughed and buttoned his jeans. “And do you want to keep this between us?”  
“I already told you that I’m not going to tell people that you’re an alien, Dan,” Phil laughed.  
“No, I mean…” Dan said and pointed at Phil and himself. “Us.”  
“Oh,” Phil said as he felt a speer penetrate his heart. “Sure.”  
“It’s just… well, my friends…” Dan said quietly as he groaned, his wings slowly retreating.  
“Yeah, no,” Phil showed a forced smile and cleared his throat. “I understand.”  
“I’m just not ready to be outed, I guess,” Dan bit his lip. “Sorry.”  
“You should come out when you’re ready,” Phil assured him. Suddenly the memory of him telling PJ flashed through his head. “Oh shit.”  
“What?” Dan asked curiously, raising one eyebrow.  
“Nothing,” Phil lied. “You almost ready?”  
“Do I look like I’m almost ready?” Dan chuckled and pointed at the wings that were halfway in his back. “Might take a few minutes. Go without me, okay?”  
“No, if I do that, you probably won’t show up at all!” Phil exclaimed laughing.  
“What if I do that?” Dan asked and winked. “Are you going to punish me?”  
“Shut up, alien,” Phil chuckled. “Although that doesn’t sound that bad now, does it?”  
“Hmm, not at all,” Dan chuckled as his wings slowly disappeared completely. He walked towards Phil and kissed a happy trail of kisses over his jaw, towards his ear. Phil quietly hummed and pulled Dan closer. “Are you going to punish me if I don’t show up in class? Are you going to punish me for being a naughty boy?”  
“Who know…” Phil moaned quietly and smirked as he felt Dan grind against him.  
“Cancel your stupid class plans and I’ll suck you off right now,” Dan moaned into Phil’s ear.  
“You’re making it hard for me,” Phil chuckled and caressed Dan’s bum. “Literally.”  
“What do you say, baby?” Dan whispered and sucked on Phil’s earlobe.  
“Hmmm… class.”  
“I hate you.”


	8. Chapter 8

“Come on, let’s go, hurry up,” Phil sighed as he walked down the stairs, looking around and seeing Dan was slowly sauntering down. “We’re going to be late.”  
“I don’t want to go,” Dan whined, dragging out the ‘o’ of ‘go’. “I’m going to the toilet first.”  
“Very bad excuse, Daniel,” Phil responded smiling as he was saw a lot of his schoolmates rushing to class downstairs.  
“It’s not an excuse!” Dan said convincingly. “Really! I have to go?”  
“To do what? Change your tampon?” Phil mocked and grinned.  
“Shut up, Lester,” Dan laughed and flicked his finger.  
“Well, I’m not waiting for you, then,” Phil sighed and turned around. He raised his eyebrows at Dan and smiled. “See you in class?”  
“Yeah,” Dan smiled back and turned to the bathrooms. Phil watched the boy go around the corner and then walked further down the stairs.  
“The vampire dared to leave it’s cave!” Phil heard the voice of a certain brown haired boy yell and smiled. He turned around, seeing Chris and PJ trotting towards him.  
“Hey! I heard you hooked up with Dan, what the-” Chris started with wide eyes but got interrupted by Phil.  
“You told him!?” Phil exclaimed angrily, glaring at PJ. “I told you not to tell anyone! Dan didn’t want to-”  
“It’s only Chris,” PJ answered, raising his eyebrows. “Calm your tits, man.”  
“Chris, you better keep your mouth shut,” Phil threatened. “Dan doesn’t want anyone to know.”  
“Ouch,” Chris said, sharing a few glances with PJ.  
“Yet!” Phil said quickly. “He’s not ready to be outed.”  
“Okay, then,” PJ sighed annoyed. “Sorry for telling Chris. Now, let’s go. We have to hurry. We’re late.”

“Loser Lester _actually_ made some pathetic gay friends!” David laughed and pointed at PJ, Chris and Phil. The first three periods passed by and it was time for a small break. Phil, PJ and Chris were standing in one of the corridors, minding their own business, until the school assholes came up to them. Phil was shocked seeing Dan was amongst them. His evil grin plastered onto his face, the same grin he always showed when he was about to make his life hell. Phil shuddered when he thought back of the horrible times Dan used to give him. But it was different now. Dan wouldn’t do anything to him now. He won’t say anything mean. Phil tried to make eye contact with Dan, who was obviously avoiding his scared glances.  
“Look at those _disgusting_ fags,” Michael, a blond hair boy, laughed and pointed at them as the guys behind him started laughing. “I bet you have secret threesomes every night, don’t you. That is _so_ gross. Gay people are sick.”  
“Go away,” Phil said quietly, trying to sound stern but failing miserably. He clenched his teeth together as Michael approached him. His short blond hair gleaming in the light of the lamps above him.  
“Guess what,” Michael said threatening and grabbed Phil by his collar. “I do whatever I want.”  
He then roughly pushed Phil back, onto the ground, the boys behind him laughing loudly. Phil shot a helpless glance at Dan who was looking at the ground in shame. Why wouldn’t Dan say something to stop them? Why did he just stand there and say nothing? PJ quickly pulled Phil up onto his feet and brushed his shirt off.  
“You okay?” he asked, giving a concerned glance. Phil nodded quickly.  
“I’m fine,” Phil said quietly, his voice trembling, and kept searching for eye-contact with Dan, who still wouldn’t look up.   
“You guys are so pathetic, so worthless,” David laughed loudly and high-fived Michael. “Right, Dan?”  
Dan’s head jolted up and he saw David and Michael looking at him expectantly. He clenched his teeth together and glanced at Phil, who was helplessly staring at him. His begging eyes burning into his soul. Dan opened his mouth to say something but the words wouldn’t come. Phil prayed that he maybe would stand up for him. Or at least didn’t say anything mean. He was his _boyfriend_ after all.  
“ _Right_ , Dan?” Michael asked and raised an eyebrow.  
“I… yeah,” Dan said quickly and showed a forced grin. “Totally, yeah. Worthless losers. Every single one of them.”  
Phil felt his heart drop onto the ground and shatter in a million pieces. His stomach turned. He felt tears well up in his eyes and looked at Dan, who was looking back at him with eyes filled with guilt. He didn’t even try. Phil then turned around and snatched PJ and Chris’s arms and pulled them away, ignoring the laughs he was getting. Dan didn’t even stand up for him. He just gave in right away. Phil clenched his teeth together.  
“Phil, it’s okay, calm down,” PJ said, but Phil ignored him. He pulled them into the bathrooms and let his tears flow.  
“Why didn’t he say something?” Phil cried and leaned against the wall. “Why didn’t he stand up for me? He just stood there! He stood there and called me a ‘worthless loser’!”  
“Phil, don’t waste your tears on an asshole like he,” Chris told him strictly and laid his hand on his shoulder. “He’s not worth it.”  
“I thought he was special!” Phil cried and slowly sank down onto the floor, laying his head on his knees.  
“He’s _Dan Howell_ ,” Chris said and crouched next to him. “He is, and always will be, an asshole.”  
“But yesterday night-” Phil started as he looked up at Chris.  
“He’s an asshole, Phil,” Chris told him. “Now wipe those tears off your pretty face and go back out there. Don’t show them an asshole like him hurt you.”  
“He was my first!” Phil cried and laid his head on his knees again.  
“He was a mistake and you know it,” PJ said and sat down next to Phil. “It’s all going to be okay, we’re here for you.”  
Suddenly the door open and two concerned chocolate brown eyes looked around, keeping his glance on Phil.  
“Fuck off,” Chris growled at him and jumped up. Phil looked up with his teared eyes, glaring at the boy in front of him.  
“Phil, I didn’t mean to-” Dan started and took a few steps towards him.  
“He doesn’t want you here right now,” PJ said angrily. Dan reached a hand out to Phil but was roughly pushed back by Chris.  
“Phil, please-” Dan pleaded quietly and bit his bottom lip.  
“I told you to fuck off,” he snarled at Dan and glared at him. If looks could kill… Dan opened his mouth and immediately closed it again. He then took a few steps back.  
“I’m sorry,” Dan said quietly and exited the room. Phil slowly stood up and wiped his tears away.  
“You’re not going to forgive him, are you?” Chris asked and frowned. “You can do way better than that thing that just left.”  
“He isn’t a thing,” Phil said quietly and swallowed.  
“Are you seriously standing up for him?” PJ exclaimed angrily. “After he terrorized your life 2 years in a row and seemingly hasn’t changed at all?”  
“I don’t get it, Phil,” Chris sighed and shook his head as he put his hands on his hips. “You’re way too nice.”  
“He’s just… I don’t know…” Phil sighed and took a deep breath. “Class starts in a few minutes, we should go.”  
“If you say so…” PJ shrugged. Phil nodded and they all slowly exited the room.

“We’re going to watch some movies, want to come along?” Chris asked and poked Phil’s sides. Class had finally ended after 4 agonizingly slow hours and they were now walking up the stairs. Phil shrugged.  
“I don’t want to be the third wheel,” Phil sighed. “I don’t want it to be awkward when you two are making out while I watch a movie.”  
“You told him!?” Chris exclaimed and looked at PJ. “I thought we were going to tell him together?”  
“No, I didn’t tell him! I swear!” PJ answered and held his hands up in surrender, causing Phil to laugh.  
“I just know those kinds of things,” he chuckled.  
“Yeah, but _how_ ,” PJ asked, accenting the ‘how’.  
“ ‘Fort of love’, remember,” Phil chuckled, making quotation marks in the air. PJ slowly nodded.  
“Oh, that,” he sighed. “Well, you sure you don’t want to go along, Mr. Psychic? I think you don’t want to see your beloved roommate: Mr. _Asshole_?”  
“True, but I have to face him eventually,” Phil sighed. “So let’s just get this over with. And you’ll probably just watch some stupid movie. Like Wall-E or something.”  
“First of all, that movie is not stupid. Second of all, good luck,” Chris smiled and gave him a shoulder pat. “Punch the motherfucker in the face for me, okay?”  
“Chris…” Phil sighed laughing. “Of course I will. And that movie is very stupid.”  
“That movie is not stupid,” Chris said stubborn and frowned at Phil. “It’s not.”  
“Okay, then,” Phil chuckled. “I will come join you two right after I finished talking to Dan, okay? Promise.”  
“Anyway, good luck, baby!” PJ yelled in a high-pitched voice, re-enacting a girl’s voice, at Phil when he started to climb the next stair case, leaving PJ and Chris behind.  
“Thanks,” Phil yelled back and waved at the boys as he started trotting up the stairs. So many stairs. Thankfully, his dorm was already visible and he lowered his speed. When he approached the door, he heard mumbling coming from the inside. Phil frowned and pushed his ear against the door to hear it better.  
“I’m so sorry I’m so sorry please don’t hate me I’m so sorry,” he heard someone ramble rapidly.  
Phil slowly pushed the door open and saw Dan curled up in a ball in his bed, rocking back and forwards. He didn’t notice Phil entering the room and sobbed.  
“I’m so sorry please don’t hate me please I’m so sorry please don’t leave me I’m sorry,” he mumbled and sniffed his nose. “Please I’m so sorry I don’t want to hurt you please don’t hate me…”  
“I don’t hate you,” Phil said and closed the door behind him and looked around, noticing that the glass was cleaned up. The window was also already covered with a huge piece of cardboard. He watched Dan jolt his head up and look at Phil. He was completely flustered, tears streaming down his red cheeks with bloodshot eyes. He leaped out of his bed and bear hugged Phil. The blue eyed boy took a few steps backwards to maintain his balance and leaned against the wall. Dan started sobbing in his chest.  
“I’m so sorry…” Dan cried violently, pushing his face in Phil’s chest. “Please don’t leave me…”  
“Dan, stop crying,” Phil said stern, his arms not wrapped around Dan but against the wall. Dan looked up from his chest and looked into Phil’s disappointed eyes.  
“I’m so sorry…” Dan sobbed again. “I didn’t want to hurt you, Lion…”  
“I don’t want you to call me that anymore, Dan,” Phil said cold. Dan clenched his teeth together as he sobbed again.  
“Please…” Dan begged, cupping Phil’s jaw. “I’m so sorry…”  
“You didn’t even stand up for me, Dan,” Phil said quietly, looking at the ground. “You didn’t even try.”  
“Phil… I’m sorry,” Dan sobbed quietly and stroked Phil’s cheek with his thumb. “I didn’t mean it.”  
Phil swat Dan’s hand away.  
“Sorry, Dan,” Phil said stern. “But this is a wound you can’t heal that easily.”  
Phil pushed Dan off him and grabbed the doorknob to leave, but Dan reached his hand out and twisted it. The sound of the lock clicked.  
“You’re not going anywhere, please just listen,” Dan said stubborn and sobbed. “Please…”  
“Dan, let me out,” Phil said stern and tried to turn the lock, but it was not moving. Dan shyly tugged on Phil’s shirt, making Phil turn around. Dan looked up at him with big eyes, filled with tears.  
“Please… I’ll tell you my story,” he whispered desperately and bit his lip. Phil slowly melted into the boy’s eyes and sighed deeply, looking at the ground as he gave in. He really wanted to know what Dan actually was, so he walked towards his bed and sat down. Dan quickly sat down next to him, a few inches away, and turned his face to Phil.  
“Tell me everything, and then I’ll think about staying with you,” Phil decided cold and folded his arms. Dan smiled nervously and looked around. “Now, wipe those tears off your pretty face and start talking.”  
Phil reached out and gently wiped Dan’s tears away, making him smile shyly.  
“I’m actually not allowed to tell you anything, so you have to promise me that this story stays in this room, okay,” Dan said anxiously. Phil gave him a small nod and gestured him to start. Dan sighed deeply. He finally found someone who he really liked. And even after he knew what Dan could do, he still wanted to stay with him. He never thought the boy who he always bullied was the one he would eventually fall for. But this boy made him feel special things. He didn’t exactly know how to put it. But humans have a special 4 letter word for it.  
 _Love_.


	9. Chapter 9

“We’ve always been there,” Dan started and gave Phil a shy smile as he bit his lip. “We were created just like you guys, so nobody exactly knows how, but many believed that something was wrong with us because we had special powers. So they called us ‘Impiorum Hominum’. Which is Latin for ‘The godless/wicked creatures’. Nobody actually still uses that, it’s more of a swear by now, a sobriquet, like calling a black person a slave. Or a smart kid a nerd. Back in the day, when they still called us that, they hunted for us. Basically, if they find out you were an Impiorum, they killed and tortured you in the worst ways. We have special powers that have to do with health, our cuts heal way faster and like if someone cuts of a body part, it will grow back. But the pain you feel is like the pain humans feel. Your kind of people used to torture us. They tied us down on some sort of chair with spikes and kept cutting off our toes and fingers, nobody knew why. Why would they do such a thing? They kept doing it, until we broke, until we begged to be killed. And that is not an honourable thing to do, giving up, and humans knew that. They knew how we told each other to _never_ give up. Never beg to be killed. If you did something like that and they set you free afterwards, you’d get disowned. So many of my kind were tortured and killed, Phil. Thousands, maybe millions!”  
“That’s horrible,” Phil exclaimed and covered his mouth with his hand. “But how come nobody ever heard of your kind now?”  
“Well, if you read in the history books, you see stuff about witchcraft. That was actually us. But the people of this time don’t believe in that shit anymore, because we started to form a group. We got a leader, whose name I forgot because I skipped the history class where that was told,” Dan said and chuckled quietly.  
“You’re such a horrible person, Dan!” Phil laughed. “You literally don’t know who the leader of your people was, shaking my head, mate.”  
“Let me continue! And it’s not like you still know the name of whoever freed your people! Oh wait… white people never had to be freed as they thought they were the best,” Dan said. “Oh shit, I dropped something. THE TRUTH. Look, do you want to know more about my culture, or not?”  
“Yes, sorry for interrupting you,” Phil said and cleared his throat. “Continue.”  
“Well, we had a leader and a whole class society,” Dan explained. “You had the most important people, the one who were the strongest and the wisest: the ‘Maximis’, which literally meant the ‘most important’ in Latin; and you had loads of others. And then you had the simple people. The ‘Civium’. Which is Latin for ‘citizens’. Latin was our main language, so every term you will hear is in Latin. It’s a pain in the ass, I had to study it for 3 years. Horrible. But yeah, we formed an entire secret society, and you had to take an oath that if you got caught, you couldn’t tell anything about our society and how we lived.  
We called ourselves ‘Optimi generis’, which is Latin for ‘The best kind’. We were an arrogant nation, I know. We had secret hiding places and taught our kids all the acts and spells they had to know. Like ‘sanatio’, which means ‘healing, and ‘somniom’, which basically makes someone fall asleep and loads of others. We are forbidden to use these things unless it’s inevitable. So I crossed a line a few times there,” Dan chuckled and looked at the ground in shame. Phil put a hand on his shoulder.  
“You only used one of those,” he smiled. “And I’m not going to tell anyone!”  
“I used them both,” Dan grinned, and Phil slowly raised an eyebrow. “But the first time I used one was because I didn’t have a choice!”  
“When did you-” Phil started with a frown.  
“Let’s not get side-tracked,” Dan quickly interrupted. “So for generations long, we lived in the shadows, until we decided it was time to show ourselves and fight back. We had 2 wars the last 100 years. Humans call it World War I and World War II. But that’s just because we laid a special spell on your eyes, ‘nebula’, which made you see things differently. Because both of those wars were between us, Optimi Generis, and your kind, the humans.”  
“World War I was caused because the new king from Hungary was murdered,” Phil frowned and raised his eyebrows when Dan smiled slyly.  
“That’s what the ‘nebula’ did! Which means ‘mist’, by the way. We laid it on your eyelids and planted it in your brains. The truth is, there never even was a new king in Hungary,” Dan chuckled sly.  
“And what about World War II?” Phil asked with wide eyes.  
“Hitler had nothing against Jews,” Dan explained. “It was our kind that got shipped off and murdered. Well, most of those people weren’t even our kind, they just suspected it.”  
“Are you telling me that whole my life has been a lie,” Phil asked and raised one eyebrow.  
“Don’t worry, it counts for everyone,” Dan smiled and gave him a shoulder pat. “So yeah, after we laid a Nebula on the people who lived in the time of the Wars, everyone forgot we existed. We still do though. But you already found that out, which was not supposed to happen.”  
“Are there more of your kind in this school?” Phil asked curiously and Dan shrugged.  
“I wouldn’t know, we don’t have a code to show ourselves, or something like that,” Dan explained and shrugged.  
“Tell me about your powers!” Phil suggested excited. “Can you teach them to me?”  
“I’m going to be totally honest with you, I don’t know,” Dan smiled at Phil enthusiasm. “We don’t know much about our powers as all our books got burned in the Second World War. But we still get taught the basic spells, and the things we can’t learn. The powers we inherited from our ancestors. I’m around the age of discovering my new ones!”  
“Have you discovered any new ones?” Phil asked with big eyes, his mouth gaping of all the sudden information. Dan chuckled shyly and pointed at Phil’s wrist, which still had an obvious burn. Phil raised his wrist and eyed it.  
“Sorry,” Dan apologised with a shrug.  
“ _You_ did this with your special _powers_?” Phil exclaimed with wide eyes, a slight frown. He raised his shirt up and showed the hand marks on his chest. “These too, then.”  
“Yeah…” Dan sighed. “I’m sorry, I don’t have complete control yet. As I said before: they are triggered by extreme emotions.”  
“You were angry when the one on my wrist happened,” Phil thought. “And you were climaxing when these happened.”  
“Again, sorry,” Dan smiled apologetic. “But I inherited it from my mum, it’s called ‘Calor’, which means ‘Heat’ or ‘Warmth’. I was born with it, just like my wings. Not everyone has them in our culture, but it is the most loved one. Everyone loves the big and powerful wings, we call the people who have them the ‘Pennatus’, which means ‘feathered’ or ‘winged’. They wings are really special as everyone’s feathers have different colours that represent you emotionally.”  
“Amazing… I thought you were more of a black kind of person,” Phil chuckled quietly.  
“I might wear dark clothes,” Dan started. “But my mum says I have a colourful mind.”  
“You’re mum is right,” Phil smiled. “Can you get them out now, which sounds weird, but you know what I mean.”  
“Oh god, yes please,” Dan sighed happily and jumped up from the bed, throwing his shirt of. “I was waiting for you to ask me that, I hate having those in my back. It’s _so_ heavy. Like you desperately need to take a shit, but you have to keep it up your ass.”  
“Dude, TMI,” Phil chuckled and admired Dan’s bare chest as he bit his lip. Dan turned his back at Phil.  
“Look,” Dan said and pointed at his back. Phil squinted his eyes as he saw the skin between Dan’s shoulder blades stretch out. Phil pulled a disgusted face as the skin burst open and the majestic pair of wings jumped out. “Voila, there you have it.”  
“That looks _really_ painful,” Phil said as Dan turned around. Dan put his hands on his hips and posed, looking at the ceiling with a cocky smile.  
“It’s actually really relieving,” Dan smiled. “You know, that feeling after you took a shit-”  
“Just an ‘it’s not painful’ works too,” Phil quickly interrupted and chuckled. He stood up and walked a in a circle around Dan, examining him carefully. “How do you control these things?”  
“Well, they’re like two extra arms,” Dan explained. “The sinews on my back are connected with the ones in my wings. It’s not a difficult system. If you’re used to it, then.”  
“How did you learn to fly?” Phil asked curiously as he stroked the soft purple feathers when he stood behind Dan. He heard Dan laugh.  
“Boy, I still remember my first time,” he chuckled. “My mum had a motto she always used. Something about always immediately jumping in something deep. That’s how you learn something the best, she always said. So when it was the middle of the night, she threw me out of my bedroom window, telling me to just spread my wings.”  
“Oh my god,” Phil exclaimed and covered his mouth with his hand. “How did it go?”  
“Well, it was terrifying,” Dan laughed. “I swear I didn’t let out the girliest shriek ever. But I did as she said and spread my wings, my eyes closed as I was too afraid to look, and started to violently flap my wings. I found myself, inches above the ground, hovering in the air. I thought landing was easy, so I just stopped moving and fell onto the floor. I know what you’re thinking, Phil. ‘How do you even _fall_ if you’re inches above the gro-’”  
“I don’t talk like that!” Phil said offended and gave him a small push in his back when Dan used a sudden really deep and husky voice.  
“Sorry,” Dan chuckled. “But yeah, I still have to work on my landings as you’ve seen mine this morning.”  
“After all those years…” Phil sighed and grabbed one wing and started spreading it.  
“If you want me to spread them, you can just ask, you know,” Dan chuckled and spread them to the maximum level, barely even fitting in the room. “The bigger your wings are, the higher you stand on our social ladder.”  
“You must stand really high,” Phil said, impressed at the size. “These are massive.”  
“I mean, I don’t want to brag, but, yeah. Yeah, they’re above average,” Dan smiled cockily and nodded.  
“Don’t get too full of yourself, you ass,” Phil chuckled.  
“Well, back to the story,” Dan continued. “As Pennatus and Calor are both hereditary, I was already taught a lot about Calor, as they suspected me to have it too. They always called me special, even since I was a little kid. As my mum and dad both have different hereditary powers, I’ll have more powers than the usual Optimi. Having two powers is average, and you discover your last one when you’re around 30. I’m only 17 and already have 2, I wonder what else I have in store! It’s quite extraordinary to have more than 2 powers, but you have at least 1 neither of your parents have. That’s why a lot of people in our community are forced to marry someone they don’t love. Some just want to create the Optimum Optimi Generis. The best of the best kind.”  
“That’s cruel!” Phil exclaimed as he pulled out one of the bottom feathers, causing Dan to jump up with a loud ‘Ow!’.  
“Phil! Why would you do that!?” Dan exclaimed and pulled his wing back, he started stroking the place were Phil pulled a feather out. “I don’t randomly pull out your hairs, do I!”  
“I just want to do some tests in the lab,” Phil shrugged as he examined the blue feather. Dan’s eyes widened and he snatched the feather out of Phil’s hand, gripping it tightly.  
“Phil!” Dan exclaimed offended. “I’m telling you my story, and you want to do experiments on me!?”  
“It’s not like that, Dan!” Phil defended himself and held his hands up in surrender. He sniffed the air a couple of times and looked at Dan with one raised eyebrow. Dan was smiling at him and opened his hand. Black ashes fell on the ground.  
“You burned your feather!” Phil exclaimed surprised.  
“And I’ll burn you too if you experiment on me,” Dan threatened.  
“I’m sorry! Where were we? Oh, right. Forced marriages. As I said: that’s so horrible! It’s like breeding! You’re not animals!” Phil quickly changed the subject.  
“I know!” Dan exclaimed. “That’s why loads of us are against it, but people still do it. I might be one of them.”  
“You’re one of the people who are going to be forced to marry someone?” Phil asked quietly and bit his lip. He might be angry at the boy, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t like him anymore.  
“No, I might be one of the Optimum Optimi Generis. I already have 2 inherited powers from my mum, and I’ll get 3 from my dad, ” Dan explained quickly, blushing deeply.  
“Oh, so you’re going to be some sort of god?” Phil asked curiously and narrowed his eyes as Dan shrugged.  
“I’m really excited to find out what my new powers are,” Dan sighed and smiled. “Hopefully it’s something cool. Like invisibility, or something. Or teleporta-”  
“Wait, hold the fuck up,” Phil interrupted. “What makes a difference between the spells you learn and the powers you are born with? I mean, you said burning stuff was something you are born with. Can’t people who aren’t born with it learn it?”  
“No,” Dan said and narrowed his eyes. “I never actually thought of that. I will ask my mum. My parents are pretty big figures in our community. They are both powerful and so are me and my little brother.”  
“You have a little brother?” Phil asked and tilted his head.  
“Yeah, but let’s not talk about him,” Dan quickly said and quickly continued. “As my mum and dad were both powerful, they were forced to marry. They always fought when I was little. They divorced when I was around 12. I don’t remember a lot of it. I never saw my dad after that.”  
“Oh, that’s horrible,” Phil said quietly as he stroked Dan’s back, in-between the wings. “Does your mum know about us?”  
“I’m not even allowed to fall for a human!” Dan exclaimed angrily and folded his arms. “Let alone a boy!”  
“Oh, really?” Phil asked timidly. “Are they going to attack me?”  
“Who?” Dan asked and raised one eyebrow.  
“The Optimi Genitals!” Phil exclaimed scared and anxiously looked around, not realizing what he actually said.  
“Genitals? Oh my god, Phil!” Dan burst into laughter. Phil slowly raised an eyebrow until he actually processed what he just said.  
“I mean the other thing! You know what I mean!” Phil exclaimed quickly as Dan held his stomach, laughing even louder. “Quit laughing!”  
“You- you said- Oh my god!” Dan breathed between his loud goose cackling laughs. Phil couldn’t help but chuckle when he heard Dan’s laugh. “No, Phil! The- the Optimi Genitals aren’t coming for you! Oh my-”  
“It’s not that funny, Dan!” Phil said, supressing his laughs. “Stop laughing at me!”  
“Sorry, but that was golden!” Dan said as he slowly stopped laughing.  
“But, Dan, seriously,” Phil said as Dan was still grinning from ear to ear. “Your kind isn’t going to come after me, or anything, right?”  
“I don’t know, probably not,” Dan shrugged and coughed to hide his chuckles.  
“‘Probably not’?” Phil repeated questioningly. “Shady.”  
“Well, it’s forbidden, so it barely ever happened before!” Dan defended.  
“Forbidden!?” Phil exclaimed. “Wow, exciting! I might get brutally murdered because I like some sort of superhuman!”  
“Oh, Phil…” Dan sighed as he shook his head, still grinning. “Can I sit down now?”  
“Be my guest,” Phil said and motioned to his bed. Dan plopped down, face first on his stomach and grimaced.  
“Ew! You still have to clean your sheets, mate,” he said. “This is just gross.”  
“Well, I had other things to worry about,” Phil said defensive. Dan stood up and trotted to his own bed as Phil dodged the gigantic set of wings that almost got injected into his face. “Watch it, Howell!”  
“Sorry,” Dan chuckled and let himself fall onto the bed. He dug his face in his pillow and sighed. Phil quietly sat next to him and smiled at the brown haired boy.  
“I’m sorry,” Dan said quietly. “I didn’t want to hurt you. You’re not worthless. You are worth everything in the world and more.”  
“I know you’re sorry, Dan,” Phil sighed and started to pet Dan’s hair. “It’s just the fact that you didn’t even try to stand up for me.”  
“I will tomorrow,” Dan said quietly. “I will tell Michael and David I like men. And more specifically, I like _you_. I will protect you for anyone who tries to hurt you. I promise.”  
“Really?” Phil smiled and his heart did a flippy-over thing, which it never really had done before.  
“Yes, Phil,” Dan replied and turned his face to look at Phil with a smile who beamed back at him.  
“Then I’m willing to try it out again,” Phil decided quietly. “And not only because you’re way too adorable to let go.”  
Dan smiled and sat up, next to Phil. He wrapped his wings around him and hugged Phil, his head laying in the crook of his neck.  
“Thanks for giving me a second chance,” Dan whispered and kissed Phil’s neck.  
“You’re welcome,” Phil chuckled and tilted his head to give Dan more access. “Your wings around me feel like a warm hug, I like it.”  
“You’re adorable,” Dan chuckled against Phil’s neck.  
“But I have to go now,” Phil said and thought of Chris and PJ. “I promised to watch a movie with Chris and Peej.”  
“Don’t tell them anything,” Dan quickly said and pulled away from Phil, his eyes big, filled with terror.  
“No, of course not!” Phil exclaimed and smiled at Dan. “Want to come with me?”  
“They hate me,” Dan said quietly and looked at the ground. “Maybe it’s better for me to come another time.”  
“You sure?” Phil assured and Dan nodded. “Okay, then.”  
Phil leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Dan’s lips, feeling Dan smile against him.  
“See you later, Bear,” Phil smiled as he stood up and walked to the door. He tried to open it and it still wasn’t budging. “Might want to open the door for me?”  
“What?” Dan asked with an eyebrow raised and looked at the door, he suddenly remember how he locked it and his eyes widened. “I have ‘Motus’!”  
“Open the door, I don’t know what that means,” Phil sighed and tried to turn the lock. Dan jumped up and hugged Phil tight. “Is it some kind of disease, or something. It sounds like it.”  
“I discovered my second power! That’s what that means!” Dan chuckled and buried his face in Phil’s chest. “I was so sad that I didn’t even notice I did that!”  
“Wow, really? Like, was it an instinct or something?” Phil asked curiously as Dan looked up at him.  
“I don’t know! It just sort of happened!” he exclaimed laughing. “Like an animal raising babies!”  
“Yeah, but can you turn it back, that’s the real question here,” Phil chuckled. Dan pulled away from the hug and frowned at the lock. He reached his hand out, just like he did before, and turned. A ‘click’ echoed through the room for a second. Dan smiled brightly and opened the door for Phil, making sure his wings weren’t visible for outsiders.  
“Here you go,” Dan chuckled and gestured to the hallway. “I’ll call my mother when you’re away, okay? I’ll ask her the things you wanted to know.”  
“Thanks, baby,” Phil smiled and leaned in to kiss him, seeing Dan flinch and look at the hallway. Phil immediately pulled away and looked at Dan with disappointed eyes. “Dan, are you serious?”  
Dan then grabbed Phil by his collar and kissed him hard. Lips firmly brushing against each other and Phil smiled into the kiss. They pulled away after a few seconds.  
“Have fun, Lion,” Dan chuckled and waved at Phil who was walking away. Phil turned around and waved back. He heard the door close and smiled. After he trotted down some stairs, he reached 109C.  
“Peej? Chris?” Phil called out and knocked on their door. “Can I come in?”  
“Yeah, of course,” PJ yelled back. “It’s open!”  
Phil opened the door. PJ and Chris were laying on the floor, underneath two duvets that were tied up as a tent above them. They laid on their mattresses on the floor and a laptop with a movie playing was laying on the beanbag in the middle. Wall-E was playing. Chris turned around as PJ paused the film.  
“How did it go?” Chris asked. “You look happy.”  
“Yeah, he said he’ll improve. He will tell the assholes that he likes men,” Phil sighed with a grin and shook his head. “And more specifically, that he likes _me_.”  
“Did he apologise?” PJ asked and sat up.  
“A million times,” Phil smiled and crawled down next to PJ. “Let’s just watch that stupid film.”  
“It’s not stupid.”


	10. Chapter 10

“I told you it was a good film,” Chris nudged Phil’s elbow when he was wiping a tear from his cheek.   
“Shut up,” Phil sobbed and sniffed his nose. The movie just ended, and it was better than Phil thought it was. And somehow he ended up crying.   
“As always, the Chris-meister was right,” Chris chuckled, receiving a poke from PJ when the credits started to roll. PJ quickly checked his phone.   
“It’s almost dinnertime,” he stated. “Let’s go downstairs. I don’t want to drown in the millions of hungry students.”  
“Understandable, yes,” Chris said and sat up. Phil quickly stood up and brushed his jeans off.   
“I’m going to check on Dan for a second, okay?” he smiled and the boys gave him a small nod. Phil quickly left and ran up the stairs. His heart sped up as he saw his room near. Phil knocked on the door.   
“Dan? It’s me, open up,” Phil called out and knocked again. He heard some stumbling and the door opened. Dan was wearing a shirt again and his wings had disappeared. He was heavy panting and completely flustered and red.   
“What where you doing?” Phil asked as he came in and examined Dan with wide eyes. “Have you been exercising?”  
“No, I’ve been practicing with Motus!” Dan exclaimed with a bright smile and shut the door. “The new power I discovered! It means ‘movement’ by the way.”  
“Thanks for clearing that up,” Phil chuckled. “What do you mean by _practicing_?”  
“Watch this,” Dan grinned as Phil sat down onto his bed, looking at him expectantly. Dan took a full can of soda and opened it. He then put it on the floor, in the middle of the room. He bit his bottom lip as he reached out both of his hands towards the can. Dan frowned and his muscles tensed. A single bead of sweat dribbled down his forehead. The can on the floor seemed to vibrate for few seconds until the liquid in the can slowly floated out of it. It hovered above the ground for a few seconds, and then splashed onto the ground. Dan relaxed his muscles and panted heavily. He leaned his hands on his knees and smiled.  
“Heh, that was cool. I just did that,” Dan breathed heavily and showed a cocky smile.  
“Very impressive but are you okay, Dan? That was like water bending! Are you the avatar?” Phil joked and quickly stood up from his bed, not standing in the sticky fluids. Dan looked up at him and grinned.   
“I’m fine, it just takes a lot of energy, that’s all,” he breathed and cleared his throat. He straightened himself up and sighed heavily. “I’m now just really tired.”  
“Well, dinner is in a few minutes, if you eat well it’ll give you more energy,” Phil suggested and smiled. “Will you sit with Chris, PJ and me?”  
“I think I’m not going to dinner,” Dan sighed and let himself fall onto his stomach in his bed, still breathing heavily. “Not hungry. Just tired. Sleeeeeeep.”  
“You have to eat properly, bear,” Phil said concerned and sat down next to Dan, patting his back.   
“Yeah, I know mum,” Dan sighed annoyed. “I’m just not feeling it.”  
“Speaking about your mum,” Phil started and smiled when he saw Dan sigh again. “Have you called her yet?”  
“No,” Dan said short. “And you should go have your dinner now because I don’t want you to drown in the huge wave of students that will run you over, you small bean. I’m not going anyway. I can’t protect you this time.”  
“Is it because you’re nervous about coming out, that you’re not coming to dinner I mean?” Phil asked and felt Dan tense underneath his hand for a second.   
“Yes,” Dan said quietly and bit his lip.   
“That’s okay, baby,” Phil said with a warm smile. “It’s all going to be okay. If they’re proper friends, they won’t care. And if they _do_ than it’s actually better to cut out those unhealthy ‘friends’ out of your life.” Making quotation marks in the air.  
“I know,” Dan sighed and turned around on his back. He looked at Phil with a warm smile. “You always know what to say, don’t you Phil.”  
“Nah,” Phil chuckled and laid his hand on Dan’s thigh. “You’re beautiful.”  
“Nah,” Dan smiled and sat up. He cupped Phil’s cheek. “You are.”  
“Yeah, right,” Phil chuckled and leaned forward to kiss Dan. Their lips were only inches apart when the door burst open.   
“Dinner time, bitch!” PJ yelled and jumped in, a splash sounded. The two boys on the bed turned around and looked at PJ standing in the middle of the room, in the middle of some soda, his arms in the air and a big smile plastered on his face. The smile quickly turned into a frown as he stepped out of the soda.  
“Jesus Christ, ew,” he muttered and looked up. He widened his eyes when he saw the couple on the bed and chuckled embarrassed as he wiped his foot on the floor. “Was I interrupting something?”  
“Yes,” Dan chuckled and stood up. “I want to apologise for my disgusting behaviour today.”  
“I accept and appreciate your apology,” PJ said smiling and softly bumped Dan’s shoulder with his fist. “And I want to apologise for coming in without knocking, I didn’t want to interrupt your little make-out session.”  
“Well, it’s a good thing that you came in now, and not 3 minutes later,” Phil chuckled sly and stood up too. “Dinner, you said?”  
“Yeah, let’s go,” PJ smiled and beckoned them to follow, leaving the room. Phil walked passed Dan who stood in front of the door.   
“You sure you don’t want to come,” Phil asked and wrapped his arm around his waist, pulling him close. “You worry too much.”  
“No, it’s okay,” Dan smiled and pressed his lips against Phil’s cheek. “I’m just going to sleep, okay? I’m really tired.”  
“Okay, baby,” Phil said and smiled. “See you after a few minutes.”  
“Sure,” Dan smiled back and pressed Phil’s lips against his. Phil turned his body to Dan’s and pressed himself against him, his hands on Dan’s hips. Dan moaned quietly and bucked his hips against Phil’s, he felt Phil grin in the kiss.   
“Baby, I have to go eat dinner,” Phil chuckled into the kiss. “And PJ already walked away, he thinks we’re following hi-”  
“Shut up,” Dan moaned and shamelessly pushed his tongue in, intertwining with Phil’s. Dan pushed the door shut and pressed Phil against the closet. He positioned his thigh between Phil’s and continued grinding and moaning in Phil’s mouth.   
“Guys, I thought you were followi- Jesus Christ, are you kidding me?” PJ sighed annoyed as he walked in, again without knocking, and immediately turned around. Dan pulled away from Phil and turned around, a large grin plastered on his face as he felt Phil’s hard-on against his leg. He walked to his bed and sat down.   
“See you later, Lion,” Dan chuckled as Phil looked at him as he bit his lip.   
“I’m not that hungry,” he decided and glared at Dan. “PJ, go without me.”  
“Phil,” PJ said annoyed. “Let’s go. Chris is waiting downstairs.”  
“I’m not hungry!” Phil exclaimed and turned around to PJ, he gestured him to leave with his eyes.   
“Oh for god’s sake,” PJ sighed irritated and left, closing the door behind him. As soon as the click of the door sounded, Phil launched himself at Dan and crashed their lips together. Phil pushed Dan down onto his back and straddled his hips, not even once separating their lips. Phil started to roughly roll his hips against Dan’s hard-on, causing him to moan into the kiss. Phil lowered himself and started to kiss, suck and occasionally bit bruises onto Dan’s neck.   
“This was your plan, wasn’t it,” Phil growled against Dan’s neck, his teeth biting a sweet spot, causing Dan to gasp. “Making me hard so I couldn’t go eat dinner. So I could stay here and _please_ you?”  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dan moaned innocently. Phil ripped Dan’s shirt of his body and pinched his nipples.   
“Don’t play innocent with me, you naughty boy,” Phil growled and sucked another bruise on his neck, making Dan squeal. “And if I recall it well, I thought you were too _tired_ to eat dinner… Not tired anymore?”  
“I’ll always be awake enough for this,” Dan moaned and bucked his hips up, only to be firmly pressed down.  
“I may not even let you cum for being so bad,” Phil groaned low and bit Dan’s neck.  
“No, please…” Dan moaned and arched his back, wanting to be touched. “Please let me cum…”  
“You’re already begging for it and we barely even started,” Phil chuckled and started stroking Dan through his jeans. Dan whimpered and arched his back, moaning loudly.   
“Phil! Yes… like that,” Dan moaned and bit his lip.  
“Did you bring any toys?” Phil asked as he sucked on Dan neck. He felt Dan tense under him.  
“Y-yes,” he stuttered embarrassed with a deep blush. “In my closet, under my socks.”  
“You’re such a whore, aren’t you,” Phil chuckled as he got off Dan and walked to the closet, opening it. “Bringing toys to school to play with yourself.”  
Phil opened a drawer, seeing a pile of black socks, and started to dig into it. His hands suddenly hit something hard and Phil smirked as he pulled out a wooden box.  
“Let’s see what you brought,” Phil chuckled and opened it. His eyes widened. “Wow.”  
He heard Dan chuckle behind him as he eyed the toys in the box. A few vibrators, lube, a gag and a couple of ties.  
“You kinky shit,” Phil grinned as he grabbed a blue vibrator, some lube and a matching blue tie. “Let’s use this for now.”  
Phil walked back to the bed and held up the stuff a grabbed with a sly smile. Dan’s eyes widened and swallowed as he bit his lips  
“On all fours, baby,” Phil purred and Dan quickly turned on his hands and knees, teasingly sticking his ass out. Phil chuckled as he took Dan’s wrists and tied them to the bed. “Are you okay with this? Tell me if it’s too tight.”  
“It’s more than okay,” Dan smirked and moaned and pulled at the restraints. Phil let his hand slide from Dan’s neck, over his spine, onto his clothed bum. He gave Dan a firm smack, making him moan.  
“Let’s see how much you can take, baby boy,” Phil purred and pulled Dan jeans down, exposing his grey boxers. Phil threw the jeans on the ground and caressed Dan’s bum, roughly ripping his boxers off too. He gently pressed his lips against Dan’s warm skin, parting his lips and started sucking a bruise. He pulled away and admired his work.  
“I marked you, you’re mine,” Phil said dominant and gave Dan’s bum a tight squeeze.  
“Y-yes,” Dan squeaked as he felt his throbbing length leak. Phil grabbed the bottle of lube and sprayed some in his hand. He rubbed his hands together to warm it a bit up and, without warning, pushed his index finger in. Dan moaned and pushed himself back onto Phil, receiving another smack on his ass. Not that hard, but hard enough to sting a little.  
“Hold still, slut,” Phil said strict and pushed another finger in and curling them. Dan moaned loudly as he felt Phil’s slender fingers hit his prostate.  
“P-Phil,” Dan moaned and bit his lip. Phil started pumping his fingers deep in and out of Dan.  
“What is it, baby,” Phil purred and scissored his fingers.  
“It feels so good,” Dan moaned and squealed when he felt Phil add a third finger, thrusting them deep inside of him. He curled them and hit Dan’s prostate, making Dan scream out Phil’s name in pleasure. Dan received another harsh smack.  
“Keep it down, you’re the one who doesn’t want to be outed yet,” Phil said dominantly and thrusted his fingers in deep.  
“I d-don’t care,” Dan whimpered as he felt Phil’s fingers brush his prostate. “Whole campus can know what we’re up to.”  
Phil smirked and pulled his fingers out, admiring his hand-marks on Dan’s bum as he wiped his fingers. He grabbed the blue vibrator and coated it with a generous amount of lube. After all, he didn’t want to seriously hurt Dan. Phil pushed the vibrator against Dan’s hole.  
“Ready?” Phil asked, getting a moan in return. “I take that as a ‘yes’.”  
Phil slowly pushed the vibrator in and started to circle it around, searching for Dan’s sweet spot. A scream from Dan established that Phil found it. He pushed the vibrator against it. _Hard_. And turned it on. Dan screamed out and couldn’t hold still anymore. He let himself fall on his stomach and grinded against the bed, moaning loudly. Phil roughly pulled him up, spanking him hard.  
“No!” Phil said strict and gave Dan another smack. “Keep yourself together, you whore!”  
“S-sorry,” Dan whimpered and tensed his muscles. Phil wrapped his fingers around Dan’s member and started pumping him, rubbing his thumb over Dan’s slit.  
“P-Phil, I’m going to cum,” Dan warned moaning as he felt himself creeping towards the edge.  
“Cum for me, baby,” Phil whispered and pushed Dan over the edge. Dan came with a shout, shooting streaks of cum over his stomach and Phil’s hand. He was heavy breathing, but the vibrator mercilessly kept abusing Dan’s prostate. Phil grabbed it and started pumping it in and out of Dan.  
“You wanted to cum, right?” Phil purred and pushed the vibrator against Dan’s prostate and switched it on the highest level. Dan screamed out as he felt himself hardening again. Phil stood up from the bed and admired his work. Dan looked around with big innocent eyes and Phil smirked.  
“I’m actually kind of hungry,” Phil sighed and walked to the door. “I’ll be back in half an hour. Burn those ties off, and you’re getting punished. And you don’t want that, baby.”  
“P-Phil are you kidding hmmm-me?” Dan choked out between his moans as Phil left. Dan felt himself getting closer to his second orgasm and wiggled his wrists in the tie, trying to get them off. For a second he considered burning them anyway, but Phil seemed genuine when he said that getting punished isn’t that fun. Plus it’s his favourite tie. Dan screamed out when he reached his climax and came, covering his stomach in even more of his sticky fluid. Dan panted heavily, but the vibrator didn’t stop. He considered burning that one too, but it was really expensive. And it was also really awkward receiving the package from someone at the door who knew what was in it. He also went through so much trouble actually getting it, so burning it was out of the question. Dan bit his lip as he breathed heavily. He didn’t know how much longer he could take this.

“Phil, you’re here after all!” Chris exclaimed and smiled. He looked around. “Where’s Dan?”  
“He is very ehm… _occupied_ at the moment,” Phil chuckled sly and sat down next to PJ, across from Chris. PJ and Chris exchanged some confused glances and shrugged. “Anyway, what’s for dinner.”  
“Well, you came just in time for the 5 star menu of today!” Chris smiled and did jazz hands. “Peas and carrots!”  
“Oh, yay,” Phil said sarcastic as he grimaced. He thought about Dan. Hopefully he wouldn’t pass out or anything. “I’m just grabbing something and taking it to my room. I don’t really like crowds and stuff.”  
“Yeah, right,” PJ chuckled and gave him a little bump on his shoulder with his fist. “You’re bringing something for Dan.”  
“Yes, that also,” Phil smiled and looked at the ground. Dinner was quickly brought and Phil took the plate, said his goodbyes and walked back to his room. Phil left a trail of peas and carrots on the floor as he clumsily spilled some of them. After a few million stairs, Phil stood in front of his door and pressed his ear against it. A quiet groan sounded. Phil quickly opened the door and saw Dan covered in sweat and, what looked like, in the middle of his 4th or 5th orgasm. He was barely even cumming cum anymore. Phil rushed to him, putting the plate on his nightstand, and switched the vibrator off, gently pulling it out. Dan groaned at the sudden empty feeling, but was really happy that the vibrating feeling finally stopped. Phil quickly untied Dan and he let himself fall on his bed, heavy breathing. Dan turned on his side and curled up in a ball, still covered in sweat and cum.  
“Let’s take a shower, baby,” Phil whispered and took Dan’s hand. “I brought some food too.”  
“I’m too tired,” Dan groaned but still let himself get pulled up from the bed. Dan’s legs wobbled for a second and then gave away. He fell back onto the bed and looked up at Phil with big tired eyes.  
“I’ll get you some wet towels, you go get comfortable, eat something,” Phil smiled, bent down and gently pecked Dan’s lips. Phil left the room and Dan let himself fall onto his back on his bed. His eyelids too heavy to hold up, but he wanted to stay awake a little bit longer. Dan rolled his wrists a couple of time as it still felt as if the tie was tied around them. He rubbed his eyes and yawned loudly. Dan sat up, glancing at the plate. He placed it on his lap and grabbed a spoon, he slowly started eating the peas. A couple of agonizingly slow minutes passed and Dan had emptied the plate, Phil came back in the room, he had two towels in his hands. One wet, and the other one dry. Phil quickly crouched down next to the half-asleep Dan and cleaned his stomach, drying it with the other towel. Phil threw the towels on the ground, on top of the now sticky soda spot, and pulled his shirt and jeans off. He climbed in bed next to Dan.  
“You can sleep now,” Phil said grinning as he wrapped his arms around Dan’s waist, pulling him close.   
“Good night, Lion,” Dan sighed sleepily and smiled as he felt himself slowly drift away.  
“You too, Bear.”


	11. Chapter 11

“Wakey wakey, sunshine,” Phil purred into Dan’s ear and gently pressed his lips against his neck. Dan groaned and turned around to face Phil.  
“Five more minutes,” he sighed and snuggled into Phil’s chest.  
“Good morning to you too,” Phil said, sounding slightly offended.  
“Morning, beautiful,” Dan smiled, looking up, and pecked Phil’s lips. “Why didn’t the alarm go off?”  
“It did, but you slept through it,” Phil chuckled and yawned, receiving a ‘boop’ on the nose from Dan who smiled at him. “That’s why I woke you up, you lazy pest. Let’s have breakfast.”  
“Nah,” Dan sighed and smiled sleepily. “I’m not hungry and very tired.”  
“Bear, you have to eat well,” Phil said worryingly and sat up, leaning on one hand, gently tugging a stray of brown hair behind Dan’s ear. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”  
“I know…” Dan groaned and smiled when Phil fixed his hair for him. “I’d just rather stay in bed longer than have breakfast.”  
“Yeah, same,” Phil sighed and swayed his legs out of the bed. “But I’d much rather stay healthy than sleep a few minutes longer.”  
“Jesus, this guy doesn’t understand value,” Dan chuckled and turned around, closing his eyes. Phil turned around and frowned.  
“Come on, Dan,” Phil sighed and poked Dan’s sides. “Breakfast time. You have to eat well to get energy. You need energy to experiment with your new powers.”  
“Can’t you bring me something,” Dan sighed and curled up in a ball, pulling his duvet over his shoulders.  
“I’m your boyfriend, not your waiter,” Phil groaned and furrowed his eyebrows. “I will attack you if you don’t get up.”  
“Attack me?” Dan said confused and turned around. Phil’s frown had slowly turned into a sly smile.  
“Tickle attack!” Phil yelled and started to tickle Dan’s sides. His eyes widened and he screamed, swatting Phil’s hands away. Phil showed no mercy and continued.  
“No! Phil! Stop!” Dan choked out and laughed loudly.  
“I would, but your laugh is way too cute,” Phil chuckled as he kept tickling him.  
“Okay! You win! I’ll go!” Dan laughed loudly as he held his stomach. Phil retreated his hands and raised his eyebrows with a smile. He jumped up from the bed and reached his hand out to Dan who gladly took it.  
“I thought giving in and begging wasn’t an honourable thing to do?” Phil teased and raised his hands again, ready to attack again.  
“If you do that again, I will burn your face off, you pesky boy,” Dan threatened chuckling as he walked to his closet.   
“You would never, you like my face,” Phil chuckled and opened his own and grabbed the first shirt he saw, his purple Gengar shirt, and pulled it over his head. He looked around and saw Dan struggling while pulling his super-tight jeans up.  
“Hey, Dan,” Phil started and saw Dan looked up as he buttoned his jeans. “Are you nervous… about today?”  
“Yes,” Dan said tense and looked at the ground as he brushed his jeans off.  
“Don’t be, I’m there,” Phil smiled reassuringly and grabbed a pair of jeans. “Have you heard, we’re going on some sort of field trip tomorrow.”  
“Really? Where are we going?” Dan asked, relaxing as Phil changed the subject.  
“Some sort of museum,” Phil shrugged as he put one leg in his jeans, pulling it up. “Do you want to sit together in the bus, if we’re going with the bus?”  
“Sure, of course,” Dan smiled and grabbed a shirt. “What time is it?”  
“I don’t know, around 7,” Phil shrugged as he zipped his jeans up.   
“Jesus Christ, 7am!?” Dan choked out and widened his eyes. “No wonder I’m so tired! I’m not used to standing up on such an ungodly hour!”  
“Hurry up, breakfast time, you lazy shit,” Phil sighed and folded his arms, waiting for Dan.  
“Patience, Lion,” Dan chuckled as he pulled a shirt over his head. He posed for Phil with a cocky smile. “How do I look?”  
“With your eyes, let’s go.”

“Good morning, love birds,” Phil chuckled as he saw Chris and PJ sitting at one of the tables, talking animatedly. Breakfast was already served and the boys had grabbed something for Dan and Phil as well. PJ knew Phil would want to have cereal so he had grabbed a bowl for him. Neither of them knew what Dan wanted to eat, they weren’t even sure if he would join them, so they grabbed a bowl and an extra piece of bread, just in case. Dan stood behind Phil with his eyes focused on the floor, he knew people were watching him. Phil grabbed a chair and sat down, Dan did the same.  
“Slept well?” PJ asked and glanced from Dan, who was still looking down, to Phil, who was smiling brightly.  
“I did, thanks for asking,” Phil smiled and glanced at Dan who bit his lip. “Dan?”  
“Hmm? Oh, yeah. I slept the second I closed my eyes,” he chuckled shy and looked at Phil with a nervous smile on his face. Phil nudged his eyebrow.  
“Stop worrying so much,” he whispered and smiled reassuringly. “It’s going to be okay.”  
“If you says so,” Dan shrugged and bit his lip. “I heard we’re going on a field trip tomorrow.”  
“Yeah, we’re going to a museum,” Chris said and grabbed the peanut butter.  
“Wow, exciting,” PJ said sarcastic and shuffled uncomfortably on his seat as he grimaced. Phil frowned at him.  
“Are you okay, Peej?” he asked worryingly as he grabbed a bowl. “It looks like you are in a lot of pain.”  
“Well,” PJ started and blushed. Chris chuckled awkwardly and started to spread the peanut butter onto his piece of bread. Phil glanced at the boys and raised an eyebrow. Dan looked up too and it took him only one glance to see what has happened. Dan chuckled and grabbed the other bowl. Phil frowned and glanced at Dan.  
“What?” Phil asked and looked back at PJ and Chris who were chuckling in their seats. “I don’t understand.”  
“Oh, Philly,” Dan chuckled and shook his head. Phil knitted his eyebrows together as he looked at Dan and then widened his eyes as he realised what had happened.  
“Oh,” Phil exclaimed and his frown slowly turned into a smile. “So Wall-E worked for the sexy vibes? Or was dinner just really good?”  
“Shut up, it’s not like you two are entirely innocent,” Chris chuckled and took a bite from his breakfast. “Back to the field trip. When are we going? Yeah, I know, tomorrow. But what time?”  
“I don’t know,” Dan shrugged and grabbed a box of cereal, he filled the bowl and put the box back on the table. “We’ll find out. We’re going with the bus, right? Or the tube?”  
“I heard you can choose how you want to go,” PJ shrugged. “We just have to be at a certain place on a certain time. You can decide yourself however you want to get there.”  
“Tube?” Phil asked and looked at Dan questioningly.  
“Tube is fine,” Dan smiled and bit his lip as he glanced at Phil’s lips. He really wanted to kiss him right now. Dan looked around the hall and locked eyes with David for a second, who was looking at him with one raised eyebrow. Dan gulped and quickly turned to his breakfast. Phil glanced at the direction Dan was looking when he saw him gulp. David was glaring at Phil who clenched his teeth together and quickly started eating his cereal. That guy freaks him out.  
“I’m so nervous and scared, Phil,” Dan whispered as he swallowed some cereal. Phil looked at him with a smile.  
“Don’t be.”

“Yo, Howell,” Michael snarled at Dan and snatched his arm. Classes had started and it was lunchtime. Phil, PJ, Chris and Dan were walking down the corridors to go to the cafeteria until David and Michael suddenly stood behind them. A few other tough looking boys had joined them and were all narrowing their eyes at Dan as he slowly turned around.  
“H-hey, Dave,” Dan smiled anxiously while looking at the ground and gulped as David’s grip tightened on his arm.  
“What are you doing?” David spat out as he glanced at Phil, PJ and Chris. “Why are you walking around with these fags?”  
“They’re my friends, don’t call them fags,” Dan said and looked up at David, glaring. David released Dan’s arm and started to laugh.  
“They’re your friends? Wow, dude!” Michael laughed and held his stomach as he pointed at them, the boys behind him quickly copied him.  
“Yes, they are. And they’re better friends than you guys ever were,” Dan growled and bawled his fists.  
“Those ugly faggots are only using you to make you gay and fuck you!” David chuckled. “I mean look at those pathetic losers.”  
“They’re not pathetic,” Dan growled even louder and felt his bawled fists heat up. It took Phil one glance to see that he was losing control and quickly snatched Dan’s arm.  
“Dan, relax,” he told him stern. “Your calor is going off, or whatever you call it.”  
“What?” Dan turned to Phil and frowned. Phil glanced at Dan’s fists where a little bit of smoke flew off. Dan glanced down too and saw what he was doing. He quickly opened his hands and started shaking it around a bit. “Whoops.”  
“Howell, what the fuck are you doing,” Michael chuckled and raised an eyebrow.  
“Just fuck off,” Dan sighed annoyed as he felt his hands cool down. Michael approached him threatening, and Dan saw in the corners of his eyes that people in the hallways started staring at them.  
“ _What_ did you say there?” Michael growled low and narrowed his eyes. Dan gulped as he stiffened.  
“I told you to fuck off,” he said and angrily stared right back into Michael’s eyes. Michael glanced around a couple of times and then raised his eyebrows.  
“Look, I don’t know what has gotten into you, mate,” he started. “But if you just join us again right now, we’ll forget this event ever took place, okay? Now get away from those worthless losers.”  
“Fuck. Off.” Dan told him and bawled his fists again, lost in his anger. “I don’t want to be in your little gang.”  
“Well you asked for it,” Michael said and raised his fist to hit Dan. Dan’s eyes widened and right before Michael’s fist collided with his face, he had raised one of his own steaming hands and stopped his fist in mid-air. Dan wrapped his long fingers around Michael’s fist and squeezed tightly, burning into his flesh, making Michael scream. Dan suddenly felt someone snatched his arm and get pulled back, forced to release Michael’s fist.  
“Dan!” Phil exclaimed and frowned, he clenched his teeth together and whisper-shouted, “What did I say about relaxing!”  
“He called you worthless,” Dan defended himself angrily as tears welled up in his eyes and he heard Michael groan. He turned around seeing him staring at Dan with wide scared-to-death eyes, clutching his fleshy hand. Steam was coming off of it. “I can’t let anyone call you worthless and let them go unpunished.”  
“Dan, that’s really sweet and I appreciate it, but I don’t think this was a smart move,” Phil whisper-shouted as he glanced around him, seeing everyone in the corridor was staring at them. Some were whispering, others were gaping, and others were pointing at Michael’s burned hand. Dan glanced around too and his eyes widened as he saw Chris and PJ staring at them in shock too.  
“Shit,” Dan exclaimed as he scanned the forming crowd around them.  
“What a freak,” someone whispered, receiving an angry glare from Phil. Dan saw from the corner of his eye that David was approaching him threateningly. Dan turned around to face him, just in time to dodge another fist thrown his way. Dan’s leg swept over the floor, against David’s heels, throwing him off his feet on his ass. David looked up at Dan with an offended look.  
“What the hell is wrong with you, Howell?” he exclaimed angrily as he quickly got up. “Are you gay or something?”  
“I’m bi,” Dan growled and he pointed at Phil. “And _he_ is my boyfriend!”  
“You’re disgusting, never come near me again,” Michael growled as he looked up from his burned hand. Dan slowly raised his eyebrows and approached him. “I don’t want you to hit on me, or something. You’re just plain gross.”  
“Do you want me to burn your face off too?” Dan asked with big innocent eyes and a sly smile.  
“That’s enough, Dan,” Phil decided and grabbed Dan’s arm, pulling him away, receiving some cat calls. PJ and Chris quickly followed them and Phil pulled him in the bathroom. They all walked in and Dan leaned against the wall across the door together with Chris. Phil and PJ standing across them.  
“How did you _do_ that?” PJ exclaimed with wide eyes, referring to the burn incident. Phil’s eyes widened and so did Dan’s. They glanced at each other. PJ frowned, which slowly developed in a huge grin and he clapped his hands together.  
“I fucking called that shit from the beginning!” PJ exclaimed and threw his hands up in the air as he laughed loudly. “I fucking knew that you were some weird inhuman creature!”  
“Excuse me,” Dan said and played innocent, he frowned. “ _What_ exactly are you talking about?”  
“You burned his fist! You even threatened to burn his face off!” PJ exclaimed, glancing at Chris as Dan frowned. “Chris, back me up here.”  
“I don’t know, mate…” Chris shrugged and looked at the ground. “Maybe it was nothing.”  
PJ’s mouth slowly fell open.  
“Phil?” PJ asked and helplessly stared at him. “Back me up! You saw something too, right! Dan burned someone! And your chest was burned too, remember! The hand-marks! I might not be the smartest, but I’m certainly not stupid, guys.”  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Phil said quickly and shot a nervous smile at Dan. PJ narrowed his eyes and turned to Phil, he then grabbed Phil’s shirt and pulled it up. Two big red hand-marks where still clearly visible. PJ flicked one of them, making Phil squirm in pain.  
“ _This_ is what I’m talking about,” PJ said angrily and pointed at Phil’s chest. The bathroom door suddenly opened and the four boys turned around. In front of them was a guy that neither of them knew with raised eyebrows. The boy narrowed his eyes as he saw four boys standing in front of them, while one of them was ripping someone’s shirt off.  
“Sorry for interrupting,” the boy muttered awkwardly and quickly left. Dan slowly sank down onto the floor with a big grin on his face.  
“Did you see how shocked he was? He thought he just walked in on some gay orgy!” Dan exclaimed laughing. The others couldn’t help but chuckle too, especially when they heard Dan’s loud goose cackles. “That’s fucking brilliant. I’m going to tell this story to my friends at home.”  
“Let’s not get side-tracked,” Chris spoke up and eyed Phil’s chest, who awkwardly looked at the ground in shame. “What are those?”  
“PJ, shut the fuck up,” Phil said quickly when he saw PJ open his mouth, before he could scream out the meme he used before.  
“Hand-marks,” Dan answered quietly. “My hand-marks.”  
“Dan,” Phil said warningly and shot him a nervous glance.  
“No, Phil,” Dan said and looked up at him from the ground. “Do you think I can talk myself out of this?”  
“I don’t want you to be forced to maybe move by your mum or someone else,” Phil muttered as he bit his lip.  
“I’m not going anywhere, baby,” Dan smiled reassuringly and stood up. Phil pushed his shirt down and looked at the ground. PJ had his eyebrows almost on the back of his head by now from raising them.  
“Is anyone going to explain shit, or what?” he exclaimed. “I was right, wasn’t I.”  
“Yes,” Dan stated and nodded slowly. “I’m not entirely human. I’m just further developed. I am special species with extra supernatural powers.”  
“Wow, wait,” Chris interrupted. “Special powers? This is crazy.”  
“Now we’re going to talk about this, I’d better lock the door,” Dan said and smiled slyly at Phil who chuckled. Dan reached out his hand towards the lock and twisted it, receiving a click. “Okay, let’s continue without getting interrupted.”  
“What the- did that just _really_ happen!? He turned that thing from there!?” PJ exclaimed shocked and backed away a few steps.  
“Calm down, Peej,” Phil said warningly as his back hit the wall. “It’s still just Dan.”  
“Yeah, I just can do some stuff that you can’t,” Dan shrugged.  
“Like what?” PJ asked, his mouth hanging open.  
“I don’t know, like flying,” Dan shrugged humbly. PJ’s and Chris’s eyes widened and both their mouths were hanging open now.  
“How?” Chris exclaimed surprised and he saw Phil smile.  
“He has a beautiful set of wings,” Phil smiled proudly. “They’re purple and slowly fade to blue!”  
“You sound like a proud parent,” PJ chuckled as he glanced at Phil who chuckled and shrugged. “But seriously, what the hell!”  
“I don’t know what to say…” Chris sighed and shook his head. Suddenly the school bell rang, making them all look up.  
“Class,” Dan said and jumped up.  
“You have a lot of explaining to do, young man,” PJ said strict as Dan reached his hand out, twisted it and unlocked the door.  
“Yeah, I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm proud that I'm still on schedule of posting every two days.  
> I found out that writing really takes my mind of other things and help me calm down.  
> Thanks for reading and truly love and appreciate you all.  
> And I always love some feedback and I TAKE SUGGESTIONS  
> IF YOU WANT TO READ SOMETHING SPECIFIC AND IT FITS THE STORY IN MY EYES, I'LL FIX IT  
> YOU CAN BE THE ONE WHO GIVES ME INSPIRATION  
> How cool is that, actually? You actually kind of decide how the story goes.  
> Enough blattering like a fool, I'm going back to writing more
> 
>  
> 
> Im_Innocent_I_Swear :)


	12. Chapter 12

“Phil,” Dan whispered and gently nudged Phil’s elbow. They were in geography class right now, and they sat together in the left corner-back of the class. Phil was scribbling notes as he tried to pay attention, Dan was mostly just staring into the distance. “Phil, I’m bored.”  
“Shush, I’m trying to pay attention, Dan,” Phil whispered back and narrowed his eyes at the teacher in front of the class, blinking multiple times. He sighed annoyed and got a blue with green tube out of his bag and opened it, taking his glasses out, and placing them on the bridge of his nose.  
“I thought you wore contacts,” Dan whispered and tilted his head to Phil, smiling as he saw his boy in the cute glasses.  
“I couldn’t find them this morning,” Phil whispered back and focused on the talking teacher in front of them, who was writing something on the board behind him. Phil quickly copied it in his notepad and bit his lip as he tried to pay attention to the teacher. Dan admired Phil’s pretty looking face with the glass. It framed his face shape well.  
“Phil, I’m bored,” Dan whined quietly and nudged Phil’s arm again, this time a bit harder, making him sigh annoyed.  
“Entertain yourself,” Phil whispered, seeing Dan pout in the corner of his eye. “Don’t give me that face, bear.”  
“Phil, please,” Dan whined, dragging out the ‘ea’. Phil turned his face to Dan and gave him a strict look, bringing his index finger to his lips. Dan folded his arms and looked at his table, looking like a little child whose mother didn’t want to buy him some sweets. He glanced at Phil, seeing him scribble down some more notes. Dan’s distressed look slowly turned into a sly smile and he leaned backwards in his chair. Phil was too busy paying attention to see him, until he felt a hand on his knee. Dan’s long slender fingers slowly circled Phil’s knee, making Phil look up and raise his eyebrow at him. Dan smiled at him with the most innocent eyes he could make and Phil smiled back, focussing on the lesson. How volcanoes work, something like that. Dan smirked as his hand slowly travelled from Phil’s knee up to his thigh and he softly squeezed it through the fabric of Phil’s tight jeans.  
“Dan, what are you doing,” Phil squeaked and Dan felt his muscles tense underneath his hand.  
“Like you said,” Dan smirked and bit his lip. “Entertaining myself.”  
“We’re in class!” Phil whisper-shouted and gasped when he felt Dan’s hand slide up a bit higher. Phil could feel it. The blood rushing to his length. The tightening in his jeans. And Dan knew exactly what he was doing.  
“That makes it even more fun,” Dan chuckled and started to stroke Phil’s thigh and inner thigh, making Phil squeal and shift in his seat. “You like that, don’t you?”  
“No, Dan!” he breathed high-pitched. “God, Dan! We’re in public!”  
“Yeah, we are. But those glasses just look too good on you,” Dan chuckled and his fingers swiftly brushed against Phil’s hard-on, receiving a groan from Phil. “It’s not like you don’t like this.”  
“Dan!” Phil whisper-shouted and squealed when Dan’s hand found its way to Phil’s crotch and started stroking him. Phil’s breath hitched and he spread his legs a bit, his eyes fluttering shut. Dan smirked, knowing he had won, and palmed him firmly.  
“See? You _do_ like it,” Dan smirked and he undid Phil’s jeans, glancing around the room. Nobody was looking. He slowly slid his hand into Phil’s jeans and boxers, Dan wrapped his fingers around him and slowly started pumping him. Phil clutched his pen with his right and while his fingernails of his left hand started digging in the table.  
“Dan Howell.”  
Dan’s head shot up and he retreated his hand to his table. He felt himself redden and he clenched his teeth together.  
“What?” he asked with an innocent smile.  
“Pay attention to my class,” the teacher spoke strict and returned his attention to the board behind him.  
“We almost got caught!” Phil exclaimed and anxiously looked around, everybody had turned their heads away from them and Phil quickly zipped and buttoned his jeans up. “You’re just plain evil, aren’t you.”  
“I’m the best,” Dan corrected him, receiving a poke from Phil. “You loved that, even if you didn’t cum. Good you didn’t, actually. Imagine your cum sticking on the table and on your jea-”  
“Yeah, that’s enough,” Phil whispered annoyed, his hard member pulsing against the fabric of his boxers and jeans. “Never do that again, okay.”  
“Hmm, and why not?” Dan smirked and winked at Phil, making him blush. “Are you going to punish me for being a bad boy?”  
“Dan, shut up,” Phil chuckled as he felt his face heat up. “I’m going to fuck you so hard when we get back to the dorm that you won’t be able to walk for days.”  
“I’m looking forward to it,” Dan smiled and folded his arms as he looked at his teacher giving him warning looks for talking. “But that’ll take 2 hours! We can also just go to the bathroom right now.”  
“Dan, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Phil sighed and shook his head.  
“I have lube in my bag,” Dan assured and smiled.  
“Why do you have- you know what? I don’t _want_ to know,” Phil whisper-shouted frowning, slowly shaking his head.  
“So, what do you say?” Dan smirked and nudged Phil’s elbow. “I think your dick knows what it wants.”  
“What if someone walks in?” Phil whisper-shouted slightly panicked.  
“No one is going to walk in, I’ll lock the door. I don’t need a key,” Dan responded with a sly smile.  
Phil narrowed his eyes at Dan and slowly shook his head. Still looking at Dan, he slowly raised his hand.  
“Phil Lester?” the teacher asked and tilted his head.  
“Can I go to the bathroom,” Phil said, mildly annoyed that he gave in. The teacher gave him a small nod. Phil practically jumped up and power-walked out of the classroom. Dan’s eyes followed him and he bit his lip in anticipation. Dan lowered his hand and opened his bag, getting out a little blue bottle. He shoved it into his back pocket. After a minute or less his hand shot up and waved it around to get attention.  
“Dan Ho-”  
“Can I go take a dump?” Dan interrupted quickly. The teacher narrowed his eyes for a second before giving him a small nod. He leaped out of his chair, almost tripping over his own legs as he made his way to the nearest bathroom. He pushed the door open.  
“Phil?” Dan asked and looked around. One of the cubicles opened and Phil was frowning at him.  
“What took you so long?” Phil growled and approached Dan, pushing him roughly against the wall. They looked at each other for a few seconds until they attacked each other’s lips, fingers tangling in each other’s hair. Dan opened his mouth instinctively and Phil immediately pushed his tongue in to taste him. They swallowed each other’s moans and Phil roughly pushed his hips against Dan’s, his hands on his hipbones. Dan slowly lowered his hand and pulled out the bottle of lube from his pocket, shoving it into Phil’s hand. Phil pulled away from the kiss and glanced at the door.  
“What if someone walks in,” he said anxiously. “There is no lock!”  
“Nobody is going to walk in, Phil,” Dan responded and pressed his lips against Phil’s, who melted into the kiss. He pulled away from Dan after a few seconds.  
“But what if!” he exclaimed scared. “We can’t go in one of the cubicles, those are way too small!”  
“You’re the one who told me not to worry so much,” Dan said and cupped Phil’s cheek, giving him a gentle smile.  
“Yeah, but that wasn’t about fucking in the public bathrooms, Dan!” Phil pouted and squeezed Dan’s hipbone. Dan leaned forward and gently pecked his lips.  
“Just relax,” he whispered and softly pressed his lips against Phil’s again. Slow, passionate. Nothing like the kisses they shared before and Phil couldn’t help but give in and he kissed him back. Slowly relaxing into the loving collision. Dan wrapped his arms around Phil’s waist, pulling him closer, if that even was possible, and quietly moaned into the kiss. He could feel Phil smirk into the kiss and he started to grind against the younger boy who eagerly retaliated the movements. Dan lowered his hands from Phil’s hips onto his bum and gave him a few tight squeezes, getting some groans from Phil who roamed his hands over Dan’s chest.  
“Turn around, bear,” Phil purred playfully and Dan immediately turned around, grinding his ass against Phil’s hard length, making him moan quietly. Phil pushed Dan’s body against the wall, pinning his wrists together on his back, roughly grinding against him.  
“Keep your wrists together like that,” Phil said strict and his hands made their way to fumble with Dan’s belt. He quickly unbuckled it and undid them, sliding his hand in the tight jeans.  
“Phil…” Dan moaned out and bucked his hips up in Phil’s hand. “Hmm… yes…”  
Dan started to roll his hips against Phil, who groaned as his arousal got kicked up. Phil started to push Dan’s jeans down and they formed a puddle on his ankles. Phil quickly lubricated his fingers and slid them in Dan’s boxers after letting the blue bottle fall on the floor. He teasingly circled Dan’s entrance whilst he kept stroking him with his other hand. Phil slowly pushed his index finger in to the knuckle and kept it still for a few seconds. He slowly started thrusting it deep inside of Dan who was squirming underneath him.  
“More,” Dan moaned and pushed himself down onto Phil’s finger. Phil smirked and pushed another finger in and sisscored them, making Dan moan. After a few thrusts he pushed a third finger in and curled them around, searching for Dan’s sweet spot. Dan moaned loudly when he felt Phil hit his prostate. Phil saw Dan slowly turn into a moaning and whimpering mess.  
“Sshh,” Phil grinned. “You have to be quiet or I’m going to have to gag you.”  
“I c-can be quiet,” Dan choked out and suppressed another moan. “R-really.”  
“If you say so…” Phil chuckled and pushed his fingers in further, feeling Dan clench around him. He then pulled his fingers out entirely. “You were so bad for doing that to me in class.”  
“I’m s-sorry,” Dan moaned quietly as Phil continued stroking him.  
“No, you’re not,” Phil said dominant and unbuttoned his jeans. “And you know what happens to bad boys like you? They get _fucked_.”  
Dan whimpered as he heard Phil talk to him like that. Phil pulled Dan’s boxers down too, wrapping his long fingers around his length and he began pumping him.  
“Fff-aah-fuck!” Dan moaned and immediately bit his lip to keep himself from being too loud. Phil gave Dan a hard smack on his ass and told him to keep quiet again. Phil’s jeans fell down to his ankles and he grinded against Dan, groaning quietly as the pleasure ran through him in tiny waves.  
“What are you waiting for, just fuck me!” Dan moaned pushing himself onto Phil.  
“I told you to keep quiet, you whore,” Phil snarled and spanked Dan hard. He then pulled down his own boxers, remembering he threw the bottle of lube on the ground. He groaned annoyed and quickly picked it up. He coated himself with a generous amount and pushed his tip against Dan’s entrance. Phil covered Dan’s mouth with his hand and slowly pushed in, making Dan squeal against him. Phil quietly shushed him as he filled him up, giving Dan’s length a few lazy strokes.  
“Good boy,” Phil purred in Dan’s ear, biting his ear shell. He slowly started to kiss Dan’s neck to distract him from the burning feeling. “Just don’t kill me with burning my dick of or shooting those wings out again, okay?”  
Dan chuckled and muttered an ‘I’ll do my best’ against Phil’s hand, he whimpered when he felt Phil’s thumb rub his slit. Phil slowly pulled himself out of Dan, until only his tip was in, and slammed back into him, creating a steady pace. Dan was squealing and keeping himself from screaming out. Phil felt the boy tense against his hand and pressed a gentle kiss against his neck.  
“You’re doing so well, baby,” Phil purred as he continued thrusting into him, changing angle every time to search Dan’s prostate. “Such a good boy.”  
Dan kept his wrists pinned against his back as his entire upper body was pressed against the cold wall. Dan’s eyes widened and tried to scream when Phil hit his prostate, tears dripping from his eyes, making the hand covering his mouth grip him tighter. Phil enjoyed hearing the muffled screams and moans, making Dan obedient to him. Dan clenched around him as he felt his orgasm near.  
“Are you going to cum, baby?” Phil purred and started to pump Dan faster. “Come on, cum for me.”  
Dan felt tears stream over his cheek as he screamed against Phil’s hand, clenching around him tighter. Phil felt himself close to the edge as well when he felt Dan tightening up. Dan came hard, streaks of cum covering the wall and Dan was heavy panting. Phil came only seconds after Dan, seeing his boy lost in pure bliss because of him was too much. Both heavy panting, Phil slowly removed his hand from Dan’s mouth and pulled out. Dan pulled his jeans and boxers up, wobbling on his jelly legs. Phil quickly did the same, still breathing heavily. Dan slowly turned around, facing Phil with a tired smile. His legs shook and eventually gave in, and Phil quickly caught the overstimulated boy.  
“Dan, are you okay?” he asked worried. Dan looked up and gave him another tired smile and a slow nod. He slowly pulled himself on his legs again and cupped Phil’s cheek, kissing him gently.  
“I’m fine,” Dan smiled quietly and walked to the door. Phil was just in time to catch the boy again and they slowly sank down on the floor together. “You did as you said. Now I can’t walk.”  
“Yeah, that’s definitely a problem,” Phil sighed chuckling. “How am I ever going to get you back to class unnoticed? We’ve both been away for a generous amount of time, both flustered, messy hair and _you_ can’t walk! Can it be any more obvious!”  
“You get back to class, and I’ll stay here,” Dan stated. “People already know I always skip class! If you do that everyone will talk about it.”  
“People will talk anyway,” Phil shrugged. “And I’m not leaving you alone here, not even being able to walk properly in a room with cum stains on the wall.”  
“Yeah, we need to clean that up,” Dan sighed and looked at Phil expectantly.  
“It’s your cum!” Phil exclaimed frowning.  
“You’re the one who made me cum,” Dan shrugged.  
“You’re unbelievable,” Phil sighed and stood up, grabbing some tissues from a tissue machine on the wall. He walked to the wall and slowly wiped the stains off. “Unbelievable.” Phil muttered, seeing Dan grin in the corner.  
“Thanks, Lion,” Dan purred and smiled.  
“You owe me so much,” Phil groaned and he threw the tissues in the bin. Dan’s eyes widened and filled with terror.  
“Someone’s coming,” Dan whisper-shouted, making Phil frown.  
“How can you know,” Phil whisper-shouted back, listening but not hearing anything. “I don’t hear anyone.”  
“Hide!” Dan exclaimed and made wild hand gestures.  
“What about you!?” Phil exclaimed and quickly pulled Dan up on his feet, letting him go immediately. Dan wobbled on his legs and they gave in again, he quickly grabbed a sink and pulled himself up.  
“I’m going to pretend to wash my hands, you hide in the cubicles!” Dan said quickly as the footsteps approached. Phil shot in one of the cubicles, quickly locking it. Dan quickly pushed the tap, letting water run out and stuck one hand underneath the running water, the other one leaning on the sink, supporting him. The door opened and a blonde boy walked in. Dan turned to him and smiled brightly. The boy slowly raised an eyebrow and shuffled to the urinal, sharing some weird glances with Dan who was still smiling at him. The water stopped running and Dan quickly pushed it in again, feeling his legs shake. He shot a terrified glance to the cubicle that Phil was in and then turned to the boy again, keeping his fake smile up. The boy narrowed his eyes uncomfortably and turned away from Dan, unzipping his jeans to pee. He shot a few glances behind him, seeing that the weird guy who was washing his hands was still staring at him with a big smile.  
“Do you mind?” the boy asked slightly uncomfortable and raised an eyebrow. Dan’s eyes widened for a second as he felt his face heat up. He quickly turned his face to the tap, biting his lip whilst mentally cursing himself for being so awkward. Dan focused on the running water and pushed the tap again. The boy glanced a couple of time at the weirdo who has been washing his hands for a while as he peed. Dan placed his other hand on the sink too as he felt his legs shake. He heard the guy approach to wash his hands and suddenly realised that there is only one sink.   
And Dan was occupying that one sink.  
Dan looked up as the boy raised his eyebrow at him.  
“Can I?” he asked awkwardly, making Dan look up at him with wide eyes.  
“Uh, sure,” Dan smiled and looked around to see if he can hold himself up on anything. There was a tissue machine hanging on the wall were you can pull tissues out. He just had to go with that, there was no other choice. Dan grabbed the machine and stepped away from the sink as the guy slowly washed his hands. Dan tensed all his muscles to keep himself from falling. He heard Phil quietly snicker in the cubicle and glanced at the boy who was now shaking his hands to get rid of the water. How come he didn’t hear? Dan glanced at the cubicle Phil occupied and saw the boy peeking through the crack and Dan shot him a glare.  
“Excuse me,” the boy muttered. “Can I have a tissue.”  
“Oh, yeah, of course,” Dan awkwardly said and pulled one tissue out, his other hand still holding him up. He handed the boy a tissue who slowly took it from him and tilted his head up. The boy quickly threw the tissue in the bin and walked out, quietly muttering a ‘what a freak’. Phil opened the cubicle, just in time to see and hear a deafening crash of Dan accidentally pulling the machine of the wall and fall on the ground. Phil supressed a laugh as he saw the boy look up at him in shock with a tissue machine in his hands. Phil couldn’t hold it any longer and started laughing.  
“Oh my god, Dan!” he laughed loud, and Dan glared at him. “I was looking at you through a crack and you were so awkward! You were staring at that guy with a gigantic smile plastered onto your face whilst he was peeing! And now you pulled a fucking tissue machine of the wall! This is pure gold!”  
“Shut up,” Dan growled and looked down to the tissue machine in his hands. “What are we going to do now?”  
“I’m going to laugh a bit longer,” Phil chuckled and shrugged. “That was beautiful! Thanks for making me laugh.”  
“You’re welcome, douchebag,” Dan muttered and placed the tissue machine next to him on the ground. “We have to leave, because someone probably heard me falling with this thing. And if they see me with it next to me, I’m expelled. Because that’s my hundredth warning.”  
“Oh, shit,” Phil said and crouched next to Dan. “I got this, baby.”  
He shoved his arm underneath Dan’s knees and the other one underneath Dan’s shoulders, picking him up bridal-style.   
“Phil, what are you doing!” Dan exclaimed as he got lifted up.  
“I’m taking you to the dorm room,” Phil quickly said and opened the door with his leg, carrying Dan out.  
“Oh my god, Phil,” Dan exclaimed quietly, shaking his head.  
“Shut up, I’m trying to be romantic here,” Phil chuckled and started to run towards the dorm rooms.


	13. Chapter 13

“Open it for me,” Phil groaned as he wobbled on his legs. Dan was heavier than he thought. They stood in front of their dorm room and it took them at least 15 minutes and a whole lot weird glances to get up all the stairs. Dan reached out his hand and made a door-opening movement and the heck got pushed down by nothing. Phil, who was still impressed by Dan’s special powers, pushed the door open with his foot and tottered in, walking to Dan’s bed and carefully placing him on it, as if he could break in two pieces.  
“Thanks,” Dan chuckled and pulled the duvet up to his shoulders, snuggling in his pillow. “Now you should go back to class.”  
“Nah,” Phil sighed and climbed in bed next to Dan. “I just want to stay and cuddle.”  
“You’re way too sweet,” Dan smiled as he felt Phil wrap his arms around his torso.   
“I’m sorry about how those assholes reacted,” Phil said quietly and gently kissed Dan’s neck. Dan bit his lip and swallowed. Phil pulled him closer. “You’re beautiful.”  
“Phil?” Dan asked quietly, Phil felt Dan tense in his arms and he furrowed his eyebrows.  
“Yes?” he answered quietly, inhaling Dan’s scent.  
“Phil, I love you,” Dan said, barely even a whisper. Phil tensed and widened his eyes. It was dead-silent for a few seconds. Phil opened his mouth to say something, but the words wouldn’t come and Dan wanted to punch himself in the face for confessing this.  
“I love you too,” Phil answered after a few moments and smiled. “God, I love you, Dan!”  
“Really?” Dan smiled and turned around, facing a beaming Phil who eagerly nodded. Phil leaned forward and connected their lips in a passionate kiss.  
“Yes, I love you so much,” Phil whispered in the kiss and pulled Dan closer. He felt Dan smile in the kiss and they slowly pulled back, looking lovingly at each other. Dan smiled brightly and snuggled into Phil’s chest, inhaling his scent.  
“Wait,” Dan said and sat up, he threw the duvet off the bed.  
“Dan!” Phil exclaimed, feeling the coldness in the room grab his clothes and steal his body heat. Dan smiled and threw his shirt on the floor. Phil shook his head in disbelief. “Really, Dan? You can’t even walk from the last time and you just want to go again?”  
“No, you idiot,” Dan chuckled and shook his head. Phil’s eyes widened as Dan’s wings burst out of his back, hitting the wall hard. “Ow, shit.”  
“Smooth moves, Dan,” Phil chuckled and admired Dan’s naked chest, still not entirely sure why he deserved such a beautiful boy. “Are you okay, though?”  
“I’m fine, sit up,” Dan ordered, seeing Phil narrow his eyes as he slowly sat up. Dan shoved one of his wings underneath Phil and smiled. “Lie down.”  
“I can lay _on_ your wing?” Phil asked and furrowed his eyebrows. “And it wouldn’t hurt?”  
“No, I’ve been doing it my whole life,” Dan shrugged. “It’s warmer and softer than a duvet, so go for it.”  
“Uhm, okay,” Phil smiled shyly and slowly lowered himself onto the soft feathers underneath him. Dan laid down too and wrapped his arms and wings around Phil.  
“Better than a duvet, right,” Dan murmured against Phil’s chest.  
“Definitely,” Phil smiled and narrowed his eyes. “Dan, what’s your religion?”  
“Wow, why that all of a sudden? Does it even matter?” Dan asked and listened to Phil’s steady heartbeat, wishing it’d never stop.  
“Well, it doesn’t matter in our relationship, but does your culture have like a religion?” Phil asked and relaxed as he laid his head on top of Dan’s.  
“We believe in the Greek Mythology,” Dan smiled. “We believe that when we were all created, everyone had four arms, four legs, one head with two faces. Zeus then split us in half. And everyone is basically searching for his or her other half.”  
“That’s beautiful,” Phil whispered smiling. “How interesting. Are there more things different?”  
“There is one thing,” Dan said quietly and bit his lip. “But I’m not allowed to tell you.”  
“You should have said ‘no’ because now I want to know,” Phil chuckled and pressed a kiss to Dan’s forehead.   
“You can give me as much kisses as you want, I’m not telling you anything,” Dan chuckled stubborn.  
“At least give me a hint,” Phil pleaded and planted another kiss on Dan’s forehead.  
“It has something to do with age,” Dan said quietly and he heard Phil’s heartbeat speed up a bit.  
“Age? You’re not going to die after you did some sort of mission, right,” Phil asked timidly and pulled Dan closer, not wanting him to go. Ever.  
“No, of course not,” Dan chuckled. “But that’s all about that, I gave you a hint.”  
“Dan,” Phil whined, dragging out the ‘a’. “Why? I already know everything else.”  
“No, you don’t,” Dan responded. “But I think the other Optimi will kill me if I tell everything, I mean it. There are even ones that can read minds. And then they won’t care whose son I am, they will punish me for spilling our secrets into the human world. Look at this, I made a mess. This is my first week of school this year, 3 people already know about my special powers. And I burned someone’s hand whilst everyone was watching. I’m a disgrace to our culture. I shouldn’t have so much power.”  
“Dan, don’t say that,” Phil whispered and gave a third kiss on his forehead. “You’re amazing. You’re so powerful. Maybe you’re even the one who can make the Optimi Generis, I said it right this time I think, and the humans live together in harmony.”  
“Fuck off, that’s impossible,” Dan sighed. “Both our species are too arrogant to live together. It will be like racism. Both of us will be discriminated against, wrongfully so. That’s why we laid a spell on your eyelids and in your brains to make you all forget about us. The war was just too terrible.”  
“I understand,” Phil responded quietly. A silence fell, but it wasn’t a comfortable. It was violent. The silence was tearing them both apart, piece by piece. Dan was lost in his thoughts about how horrible he had been in the eyes of his kind. He already told three people about his special powers and half of the school gaped at him when he had burned someone’s hand. That’s why he always had been a bully. To keep distance from everyone. To keep himself from falling in love. To keep himself from forming true friendships. To keep himself from telling his secrets. He should’ve just stayed a bully. Then all this wouldn’t have happened.  
In the meantime Phil was cursing himself for pushing Dan into telling him so much. Now they were both in danger. He didn’t want to lose Dan. Dear god, he didn’t want that to happen. Phil knew he knew too much about their culture, but he couldn’t lose Dan.  
“Dan, sorry for knowing too much,” Phil said quietly. “Just please don’t leave me.”  
“Of course I’m not leaving you, Phil. I love you,” Dan smiled. “But I don’t want you to get hurt because of me. I don’t want to hurt you like I used to.”  
“Dan, if you’re going to be the death of me, than that’s how I want to go,” Phil blurted out, holding Dan even tighter. “Can’t you make me forget? Can’t you lay a spell on mine and the other’s eyes?”  
“I don’t know, I’ve never done it before,” Dan said quietly. “But the thing is, I don’t want you to forget. You are the first human that knows what I am and what I can do. You accept that I’m not like others, that I can accidentally leave some serious burn wounds, that I jump out of windows and fly away from my problems. You know all that. And you _still_ want to be with me. And I don’t want to throw that all away.”  
“What about PJ and Chris?” Phil asked. “Can you make them forget?”  
“I have to call my mum about that. But the thing with that is: if I ask her about that, she knows I fucked up,” Dan explained. “And I don’t want her to be disappointed in me. All the Optimi have such high standards for me and my little brother. It’s tiring. And if they know I fucked up, I might have to go to a special school for Optimi. And then we’ll never be able to see each other again.”  
“Well, shit,” Phil sighed. “I don’t want to lose you, bear. But I think it’s better for you if you call your mum.”  
“Yeah, but I don’t want to leave you in this hellhole without me to protect you,” Dan whispered back, smiling when he said the protecting part.  
“Just call her,” Phil said stubborn. “I can fight all those assholes myself. Haven’t you seen how ripped I am?”  
“Of course I have, you’re so muscular and stuff,” Dan joked and sat up. Phil quickly did the same and Dan retreated his wing from underneath Phil. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialled the number, sharing a few scared glances with Phil, and pressed the phone his ear. They both swayed their legs out of the bed.  
“Put it on the speaker phone!” Phil whisper-shouted, and Dan quickly did was he was asked.  
“Daniel? Is that you? I just wanted to call you, bear!” a cheery lady’s voice came out of the phone.  
“Yeah, hi mum,” Dan said quickly. “I wanted to ask you a few things abo-”  
“I have wonderful news for you, sweetie!” Dan’s mum said loudly. “You know how you always complain about this school? Well guess what I did…!”  
“Oh no,” Phil whispered and covered his mouth with his hand. He started shaking his head and looked at Dan with wide eyes.  
“What did you do mum?” Dan asked timidly, hoping that she wouldn’t say-  
“I found you a new school, a special school for children who have more powers than the average Optimi! And I heard Barbara’s children go there too! I already filled everything in and you’re welcome next week!” Dan’s mum yelled happily. “Surprise!”  
Dan couldn’t say anything as horror filled his eyes. It was dead silent for a few seconds.  
“Dan? Are you still here?” his mum asked.  
“Y-yes,” Dan stuttered. “Mum, that is really sweet of you, but I don’t want to leave.”  
“What? Year after year you complain! And now I get this!” his mum exclaimed. “What made you change your mind?”  
“Well, I have some new friends,” Dan said slowly, hoping his mum wouldn’t get mad. “And they are really amazing and cool. I really don’t want to leave them.”  
“Really? Aha… and did you meet a _special_ someone too?” Dan’s mum asked slowly, and Dan could almost hear her narrowing her eyes. “I put you in an all-boys school for a reason, Daniel. I don’t want you to go out and meet girls anyway.”  
“There is no girl, mum,” Dan assured, not even having to lie. He glanced at Phil who was now suppressing a laugh. “Really.”  
“Okay, I don’t really care about those friends. You’re going to the new school I signed you up for, period,” Dan’s mum said stern. Dan and Phil’s eyes both widened and Dan frowned.  
“No, I’m not going anywhere,” he said frowning.  
“Excuse me? _What_ did you say, Daniel?” Dan’s mum said threatening.  
“You heard what I said! I don’t want to go to another school!” Dan exclaimed and bit his lip. “Mum, please.”  
“Daniel, you have to understand that the other school is better for you! You learn about your powers! They let you do tests to discover your new ones in safety! You’re special, Daniel!” Dan’s mum explained loudly.  
“Mum, a phone let’s two persons communicate with a large amount of space between them, which means that you don’t have to yell,” Dan sighed annoyed. How come adults always talk so loudly when you’re talking on the phone with them? “And I’m staying here.”  
“Well, If you really want it. On one condition, though. If you come home for Christmas, no one knows about you being an Optimi Generis,” his mum decided. “If someone _does_ find out, I’m shipping your ass right to the school I want you to go to and I’ll nebula everyone’s eyes.”  
“How do you even _do_ that? Lay a nebula on the eyes of humans?” Dan asked strategically. It was silent for a few seconds.  
“You already fucked it up, didn’t you,” Dan’s mum sighed.  
“Yes,” Dan admitted in shame. “Just tell me how to cast that spell.”  
“I’ll send you a picture of the Book of Spells. Pack your stuff, I’m expecting you Friday when I pick you up, okay?,” Dan mum sighed.  
“Hmm… no,” Dan said rude. “I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to leave this school. I’m staying here. You get that?”  
“Dan, I-” Dan’s mum started.  
“Good,” he interrupted. “Now send me that picture of the book so I can undo my mistakes.”  
“Daniel, I don’t want you to talk to me like tha-” Dan’s mum said offended.  
“You want me to handle things myself, so let me,” Dan said annoyed, hearing his mum sigh.  
“Okay, but use nebula safely, it’s really easy to fuck up and that can cause serious damage,” Dan’s mum said and Dan was stunned. Did he _really_ just made his mum obey that easily? One of the most important people in their entire community just gave in to her son?  
“I also discovered some new powers,” Dan said and quickly changed the topic. “I have inherited Calor from you and Motus from dad.”  
“Oh really? That’s wonderful, sweetheart! I hope you use it wisely,” Dan’s mum said, happy that her son had changed the topic. “But I have to go now, give me a heads up if you discover a new power!”  
“Of course, mum,” Dan responded and they said their goodbyes. Dan hung up and looked at Phil with wide eyes. Phil was gaping at him, his mouth hanging open.  
“How did you _do_ that? I wish I could do that to my mum. I’d have so many chocolates,” Phil chuckled.  
“Jesus Christ, Phil. I had like sixty heart attacks when she said she found a new school for me!” Dan exclaimed and plopped down on his back, next to Phil who laid down too.  
“Yeah, me too,” Phil sighed and wrapped his arms around Dan. “Oh my god, I was so scared. I was so scared that you were going to leave me.”  
“I’m staying with you,” Dan reassured Phil quietly and leaned his head against Phil’s chest. “I love you.”  
“I love you too, bear,” Phil smiled and Dan’s text ringtone echoed through the room. Dan frowned as he grabbed his phone.  
“Picture of the book, I can’t show you,” Dan murmured and studied it carefully. Phil peeked over Dan’s shoulder, receiving a push in his stomach from Dan. “I said don’t look!  
“Can I see the picture of the book?” Phil asked and did puppy eyes. “Pleeeeaaasee? You can make me forget afterwards, anyway! No, no, wait! You tell me a super embarrassing thing, and then make me forget! You can experiment on me with that!”  
“I don’t want to hurt you!” Dan exclaimed as he read the book on his phone. “What if I accidentally fuck up and make you mentally ill for life? My mum said it’s really easy to fuck up!”  
“I’m okay with that,” Phil shrugged and showed a goofy smile. “Okay, tell me like, a secret!”  
“Phil, I’m not going to test on you,” Dan said stubborn. “I don’t want to fuck you up. The book says that it also curves the memory, making you remember situations differently.”  
“God knows I already am fucked up, Daniel. And I want you to grow as an Optimi, and if that will fuck me up even more, I don’t care,” Phil sighed. “And I know you can do it! You’re super strong and smart!”  
“You sure?” Dan asked and raised an eyebrow. Phil nodded eagerly and Dan studied the picture of the book one more time as he bit his lip. “Uh, okay then. You better stay alive. I’ll fucking kill you if you die!”  
“Yeah okay. Tell me something I’m not allowed to know,” Phil said and bit his lip in anticipation.  
“Well, I think you’re my other half, obviously,” Dan started and looked at the ground. “And everyone has, of course, only one other half and that person is supposed to be with you until you die. But as you are a human and I’m an Optimi, that won’t be possible. Because I’m immortal. And after you die, I’ll live on in eternal misery because I lost the only one I’ll ever love.”  
“What!?” Phil exclaimed and Dan raised his hand in front of his face. Phil violently shook his head and raised his hand to swat Dan’s hand away. “No! No, don’t use the-!”  
“Quoque oblivisceris!” Dan shouted, his hand hovering in front of Phil’s face. Phil’s pupils dilated until his entire eye was completely covered in black. Phil’s eyes were wide and his mouth hung open. His muscles then relaxed and he slowly collapsed onto Dan’s lap. Dan gasped and nudged Phil’s shoulder.  
“Phil?” Dan timidly asked and nudged the lump body on his lap. “Phil, please wake up. Oh my god, Phil? Phil, answer me! Shitshitshitshitshit…”  
Dan started to shake the boy around, still not getting a response from him.  
“Oh no…,” Dan muttered anxiously, tears welling up. “Phil, please… I love you… please wake up… Phil? I’m sorry…”  
Dan quickly opened the picture of the book again, his hands shaking, searching for what’s supposed to happen when you cast the spell. He could barely read it because of his tears and he quickly blinked them away.

‘ _When the victim you casted the spell on is a human, it will most likely fall asleep. You should be able to wake it up immediately. If the victim does not wake up, there is a big chance the spell failed and the human might not wake again. The human under possession of the spell will be in a coma and the best thing to do if you want it to wake up is_.

“Is what?” Dan said trembling and narrowed his eyes as he tried to scroll down. That’s where the picture ended. “You have got to be kidding me. What a fucking cliché.”  
Dan pushed his phone back in his pocket and quickly turned to Phil. He laid him on his side on the bed and crouched next to him. He cupped his cheek, shaking with fear.  
“Please, Phil, for me… wake up,” Dan begged, biting his lip as he gently stroked Phil’s cheek with his thumb. “Phil, I love you… Wake up, please…”


	14. Chapter 14

Phil quietly groaned and shifted in the bed, making Dan’s heart skip a few beats.  
“Phil! Wake up, please… oh my god… Phil!” Dan said slightly panicked and violently shook Phil’s shoulders. Phil slowly opened his eyes, his pupils where normal, his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.  
“Jesus, Dan. What the hell is wrong?” Phil asked, sounding mildly irritated and slowly sat up in bed. He grimaced and scratched the back of his head. “Ow shit. I’ve got a massive headache and you just decide to wake me up, and not even in a pleasant way like a blowjob! Why?”  
“Oh my god, I love you,” Dan blurted out and bear hugged Phil, making him fall on his back. Dan roughly crashed his lips onto Phil’s, kissing him dearly. Phil raised his eyebrows at the sudden attack, but, of course, kissed him back. After maybe a minute of intense making out, Phil felt wetness against his cheek and pulled back. Dan was sat on top of him with tears streaming down his cheeks.  
“Baby, what’s wrong?” Phil asked scared and cupped Dan’s cheek. He wiped some tears away with his thumb.  
“I thought you were dead… you wouldn’t wake up… I was so scared, Phil…” Dan sobbed and bit his lip. “The book said you were going to die and I didn’t know what to do…”  
“Dan, what are you talking about? What book?” Phil frowned and wiped away another tear. “After I carried you here, we cuddled and stuff. You told me you loved me for the first time. And I said it back. I was so happy. And then I got a headache and went to sleep. That’s irony, right?”  
“W-what?” Dan stuttered and narrowed his eyes. His frown slowly developed into a bright smile and he sniffled. “It worked. It actually worked!”  
“What? What worked?” Phil frowned in confusion. He slowly laid his head back and sighed deeply as he raised his eyebrows. “Did you experiment on me with some sort of spell, Dan?”  
“Yes…” Dan said ashamed. “But you told me you wanted it! You wanted to see me grow as a Optimi! And we called my mum-”  
Dan’s ringtone blared through the room and he pulled his phone from his pocket.  
“Speak of the devil,” Dan chuckled and answered the call. He turned it on speaker phone. “Why are you calling again, mum?”  
“About your friends,” Dan’s mum started. “I just called your little brother and he asked me if he could bring a friend to Christmas dinner this year. And he was allowed to, and I thought about you and your new friends! Who are your friends and who do you like best?”  
“That’s a rude thing to ask, I don’t want to hurt them,” Dan muttered and smiled at Phil as he was still sitting on top of him. “But they’re called Phil, Chris and PJ. And it’s _really_ hard to decide, but I think I like Phil best.”  
“Then I invite that Phil guy over for Christmas dinner this year,” Dan’s mum said cheerfully. “I already look forward to meeting him! He can stay over the night and then you two can go back to school! But we don’t have a spare room, but as you two are friends, that won’t matter, right?”  
“Wow, mum, that’s really nice of you. You _really_ didn’t have to do that! Really! You didn’t! And of course it doesn’t matter that we don’t have a spare room. He is my roommate after all, so I’m used to it. He’s here right now, I’ll give him the phone, alright?” Dan said with a fake smile and grimaced at Phil as he handed him the phone. “Say ‘No’ for the Christmas dinner!” Dan mouthed and made a few gestures.  
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Howell,” Phil said, trying to sound as polite as possible. “My name is Philip Michael Lester, people call me just Phil. It’s very pleasant to meet you.”  
“Why hello, Philip,” Dan’s mum said happily, obviously surprised by the boy’s manners. “It’s so nice that my little Daniel made some new friends!”  
“He deserves it, ma’am,” Phil assured as he suppressed a laugh by hearing ‘my little Daniel’. Dan face palmed and slowly shook his head. “He is a really kind and intelligent young man. I like having him around.”  
“That’s really good to hear, dear,” his mum said cheerful. “I was going to invite you for Christmas dinner at our house this year! You can sleep over and I would love to get to know my little sweetheart’s good friend.”  
“Wow, Christmas dinner!” Phil exclaimed, grinning like an idiot as he saw Dan violently mouth him to say ‘no’ and shaking his head. “Of course, I would love to come over. That’s very generous of you, ma’am!”  
“That’s great to hear, Philip,” Dan’s mum sighed happily as Dan glared at Phil. “I’m expecting to see you then, dear.”  
“Thanks, ma’am,” Phil smiled and suppressed his laughs when he saw Dan’s angry expression. “I’m giving the phone back to Daniel now. Have a nice day, Mrs. Howell!”  
“Oh, you too Philip,” Dan’s mum answered and Phil gave Dan the phone.  
“Okay, mum, thanks for calling,” Dan sighed, keeping his angry eyes on Phil. “Talk to you later.”  
“Bye, sweetheart, and good luck with the nebula!” Dan’s mum said and Dan quickly hung up. He threw his phone on the bed and folded his arms.  
“I told you to say no!” Dan exclaimed angrily. “You don’t want to meet my mother, I swear.”  
“I don’t know, it seemed like the liked me,” Phil shrugged grinning. “I’m looking forward to it. I have to call my mother, though. That I won’t be there on Christmas, but a few days after.”  
“No, you don’t have to,” Dan said stern. “Because you’re not coming to my place on Christmas.”  
“Hmmyes, I am,” Phil hummed and chuckled. “And we’re going to share your room. Romantic, huh?”  
“Oh my god, Phil,” Dan sighed and glared. “I have to take special action. I’m not going to do any sexual things with you until you call my mother, saying you can’t come. I will be the most platonic boyfriend in existence.”  
“W-what!?” Phil exclaimed with wide eyes. “Well, you’re the one who’s horny all the time, so I think it’ll be harder for you.”  
“Fair point,” Dan sighed and narrowed his eyes. “Please, just don’t go. It’ll be awkward and horrible. And they can’t know that you know about me being and Optimi. That’s going to be really hard.”  
“I can do it,” Phil smiled and laid his hands on Dan’s thighs. “Can you walk?”  
“I don’t know, but I’m sitting just fine right here,” Dan smiled and laid his hands on top of Phil’s, intertwining their fingers. “And if you come to Christmas dinner we have to be super platonic all the time!”  
“Whatever,” Phil shrugged and pressed their palms together. He brought one of Dan’s hands to his lips and pressed a soft kiss onto one of his fingers. “Please let me come?”  
“That’s what she-” Dan started with a huge grin.  
“Dan, I’m serious,” Phil interrupted and gave him his puppy eyes again. “Please?”  
“Shit, Phil, don’t give me that face,” Dan said and turned his face away, squeezing his eyes shut. “I can’t say ‘No’ to those eyes.”  
“Please, bear?” Phil pleaded, dragging out the ‘ea’. Dan bit his lip and frowned.  
“Okay! Okay, but if we fuck up, we’re dead,” Dan exclaimed. “Fuck, you’re just too fucking adorable, and you know it. You use it against me.”  
“Yay! Thanks, bear!” Phil said cheerfully and sat up, pecking Dan’s lips. “Now try to walk, I’m worried.”  
“No, you’re not,” Dan chuckled. “You just want me to move off your dick because you’re being squished.”  
“Yes, that also,” Phil admitted grinning as he shifted uncomfortably. He released Dan’s hands and laid them on his hips. “Come on. Off you go.”

“Peej, were are Dan and Phil?” Chris whispered and looked around the classroom again. “We’re supposed to have class with them now, right?”  
“Probably doing bad things in the public bathroom,” PJ chuckled as he looked around too, seeing the two missing seats in the back of the classroom.  
“What? Phil isn’t like that, he would never do that!” Chris exclaimed and looked at PJ with wide eyes who was grinning at him. “Dan maybe, but Phil never!”  
“Dan probably persuaded Phil, maybe with his weird powers,” PJ shrugged and giggled when Chris poked him.  
“No, Phil won’t ever do such a stupid thing,” he responded.  
“Ten bucks that they fucked in the bathrooms?” PJ asked grinning, holding his hand out.  
“Sure,” Chris agreed and shook PJ’s hand. “It’s sealed. Get your money ready, because I’m winning this.”  
“Yeah, right,” PJ responded. “You’re full of shit.”  
“And that’s why I top,” Chris said with a grin. PJ frowned as he processed what Chris meant.  
“ _Really_ , Chris?” PJ sighed as he slowly shook his head. “This is the last class of the day, so we’re going to their dorm right after this class.”

“I’m excited for the field trip tomorrow,” Dan murmured into Phil’s chest. After having to teach Dan how to walk again, Phil had laid back on his bed. Dan, of course, joint him and they wrapped each other’s arms around each other. “I heard that there are loads of beautiful paintings.”  
“I didn’t know you liked paintings,” Phil smiled, pulling Dan closer.  
“I just think it’s special that some humans have that talent,” Dan smiled and looked up from Phil’s chest. “Don’t you?”  
“Yeah, you’re right,” Phil sighed and pressed a kiss on top of Dan’s head. “I heard we have to be there at 9. So we have to catch the tube of 8.30. Which means we have to get up at 7.30.”  
“You can also just stab me in the face for the same effect,” Dan groaned. “7.30? That is way too early, man.”  
“No whining, bear,” Phil tutted Dan strict. “We have to be there in time, baby. I don’t want to be late!”  
“Of course you don’t want to, you nerd,” Dan sighed annoyed, receiving a poke from Phil in his sides.  
“If you behave well on the field trip, we can try out some of your toys,” Phil smirked. “But only if you behave well, bear.”  
“Stop using everything against me!” Dan exclaimed laughing. “I’ll try.”  
Dan and Phil both looked up at the door as it burst open. PJ and Chris ran in, immediately slamming it shut behind them.  
“Did you guys fuck in the bathroom!?” PJ asked shouting. The boys in the bed both froze and looked at each other in shock. PJ grinned and looked at Chris who pouted. “Give me your money, Chris.”  
“Aw, man,” Chris sighed and grabbed his wallet out of his back pocket, handing him a banknote of ten pounds. PJ happily took it and stuck his tongue out. The boys on the bed were now looking at them in shock.  
“How did you guys know? It was that blond boy, wasn’t it,” Dan exclaimed angrily, sitting up and folding his arms. PJ and Chris both sat down on the other bed and carefully examined Dan.  
“Tell us about your powers,” PJ demanded excited. Dan smirked and stood up, walking towards them. Chris and PJ’s eyes both widened and slowly filled with fear.  
“Oh, god, he’s going to kill us,” Chris whisper-shouted scared, wrapping his arms around PJ who did the same.  
“Dan, please don’t kill us! I’ve got so much to live for!” PJ cried and buried his face in Chris’s chest. Dan crouched down in front of them and raised his hand in front of their eyes.  
“Quoque oblivisceris,” he said smirking, concentrating on the things the boys should forget. Both of their pupils dilated and they fainted.  
“Oh my…! Did that happen to me too?” Phil asked with wide eyes and Dan nodded.   
“But you wouldn’t wake up, I think I used too much energy,” Dan shrugged and gently nudged their shoulders. “Hey, wake up.”  
“What does that even mean? Those words?” Phil asked curiously.  
“I thought it meant ‘you will forget’ or something like that,” Dan answered poking the boys again. “I hope I didn’t fuck up this time. Hey, wake up.”  
“Let’s bring them to their room,” Phil suggested and stood up. “I think they’ll less confused when they wake up.”  
“Fair point. I’ll carry PJ, you carry Chris,” Dan decided and they both picked the boys up bridal-style, wobbling on their legs at the sudden weight.  
“Jesus Christ,” Phil murmured as he almost fell backwards. “How are we going to get these down the stairs!?”  
“With great difficulty,” Dan responded as he kicked the door open, leaning against the door way as he heard PJ groan quietly. “Oh, shit. Hurry.”  
“Oh my god,” Phil whisper-shouted as Chris wiggled in his grip. They both wavered out of the room, wobbling towards the stairs. PJ tangled his fingers into Dan’s shirt and pulled his head to his chest.  
“Phil! He’s drooling on me!” Dan whisper-shouted disgusted as they walked down the stairs, almost falling a few times. “I’m going to lose my shit. I can feel his saliva on my chest. It is literally on my chest, Phil! He’s dribbling all over me!”  
“Come on, Dan. We’re almost there,” Phil chuckled and tottered down the stairs.  
“Ew ew ew ew ew ew,” Dan whimpered and grimaced with every step. “You carry PJ next time.”  
“Next time?” Phil asked as they got to their dorm. “I hope there will never be a next time!”  
Dan bowed down a bit and opened the door with his elbow.  
“Fuck,” Dan groaned as he almost tripped over his own legs. He almost threw PJ on his bed, examining his shirt that had an obvious wet spot as Phil gently laid Chris down, tugging him in.  
“Look!” Dan exclaimed and showed Phil his shirt. “Look what that pest did to my shirt!”  
“‘That pest’?” Phil repeated slowly and raised an eyebrow.  
“I’m tired of this place, I’m going to bed now. Come on we have to be quick, they’re already waking up!” Dan exclaimed and walked out of the room, Phil quickly following him. “I just want to sleep, and go to that museum tomorrow.”  
“We didn’t even have dinner!” Phil exclaimed as he had to ran to catch up with Dan who power-walked up the stairs.  
“That spell drained a lot of energy, I just want to rest,” Dan muttered frowning. “I’m not forcing you into joining me, Lion. I just really want to sleep. I want to be in a good mood tomorrow.”  
“No, I don’t mind, baby,” Phil said as he started to double-step the stairs to keep up with Dan who already almost reached their dorm. “It would be an honour to cuddle with you.”  
“You’re way too sweet,” Dan chuckled and blushed as he opened the door. He waited for Phil to stand next to him, heavy panting. “After you, Lion.”  
“How polite of you!” Phil chuckled and walked in. “What a gentleman.”  
“Always for someone who’s worth it.”


	15. Chapter 15

Phil stared at the ceiling. Dan’s wings were wrapped around him in a warm hug and Dan had snuggled into his bare chest. He already fell asleep after less than five minutes because of the spell, but Phil wasn’t used to going to bed this early in the evening. Even before dinner. But he couldn’t get up without waking Dan, and he didn’t want that to happen, of course. The young boy was so adorable when he was asleep. Phil admired his beautiful boyfriend with a smile on his face. This boy _loved_ him. And he loved him back! Such a special thing, actually. Finding someone you truly like. Someone you want to be with. Phil pressed his lips against Dan’s head, whispering a soft ‘I love you’ before slowly drifting off to sleep.

“Rise and shine, motherfucker. It’s a brand new day,” Dan’s voice echoed through the dorm room, making Phil blink a couple of time (182 times, to be precise). He groaned quietly as he saw Dan standing in front of him in his boxers with his hands on his hips, his wings lazily hanging from his back. “Are you gonna stay in bed like a WUSS. Or are you gonna GET UP and GRAB LIFE by the TIT-BALLS.”  
“Oh my god, Dan. Five more minutes,” Phil groaned and turned away from Dan who then jumped on the bed.  
“Are you a wuss? Are you a wuss!?” Dan asked strict and violently shook Phil awake, his wings spreading. “IS YOU a WUSS!?”  
“I’m not a wuss! Now let me sleep!” Phil exclaimed as Dan jumped off the bed and stood next to it with his hands on his hips. “Jesus, Dan. You really don’t know how to wake someone up, pleasantly.”  
“YOU are gonna JUMP UP in 3, 2, 1…” Dan counted down and folded his arms, looking at Phil more and more threatening with every word. Phil raised his eyebrows at Dan who looked at him expectantly.  
“No,” Phil sighed and shook his head. “No, Dan. Really.”  
“But this isn’t how it’s supposed to go!” Dan whined disappointed and pouted, letting his wings droop down. “Today is field trip day!”  
“That doesn’t make waking me up like this is okay!” Phil exclaimed, sitting up and swaying his legs out of the bed. “So many ways to wake me up in a pleasant way! A gentle nudge, a soft kiss, an ‘I love you’, a nice blowjob etc. But no, Mr. Howell decides to wake me up screaming insults and shaking me around!”  
“I guess I can make that up to you,” Dan smirked and winked, approaching Phil and leaning down. He planted a soft peck on his nose.  
“That’s an odd place to kiss someone,” Phil chuckled and tilted his head up smiling at Dan.  
“I just love your little freckles,” Dan murmured as he bent down further, pressing his lips against Phil’s for a second. “You’re like a ginger with those cute little spots on your pretty face.”  
“Well, I _did_ tell you that my hair isn’t naturally black,” Phil chuckled making Dan look curious. “But it’s not ginger! It’s mousey brown, stop bullying me!”  
Dan chuckled and raised his hands, cupping Phil’s cheeks as he kissed him again, letting their tongues explore each other’s mouths. Phil let out a breathy moan as he felt Dan’s hands all over his chest, stomach, hips and thighs. Dan started kissing Phil’s sharp jawline as he dropped on his knees.  
“I can give you that blowjob now, you know,” Dan whispered in Phil’s ear and gently bit his earlobe, his wings resting on the floor as he rubbed his inner thighs.  
“Hmm, sounds good,” Phil groaned as he felt himself hardening. Dan started kissing Phil’s neck as his hands slowly travelled up from his thighs. Right under the forming bulge in the pyjama pants he was wearing. Phil leaned backwards on his hands, his head slightly tilted back to give Dan access to his neck, groaning quietly as he felt the tips of Dan’s fingers brush his hard length. The brown haired boy gently bit his neck and firmly palmed him, hearing Phil quietly moan his name. Dan smirked and stroked him through the layers of the PJ’s and boxers he was wearing as he sucked a bruise on Phil’s neck. He then slid his hand in the pants and boxers, wrapping his fingers around his length. Dan’s lips travelled back up and hungrily kissed Phil on his mouth again. Phil let out an embarrassing moan as Dan pushed his pants and boxers down, letting his hard member spring free. Dan started kissing down Phil’s chin, leaving a happy trail of kisses over his neck. He pulled away for a second, looking up at Phil with a smirk and winked before he firmly gripped Phil’s length. He placed a soft kisses on his tip. He then slowly took it in his mouth and sucked on the tip, twirling his tongue around it.  
“Fuck, Dan!” Phil moaned, throwing his head back in pleasure. Dan dug his tongue in Phil’s slit as his mouth travelled down further. He felt fingers intertwine in his hair and looked up with the biggest, most innocent eyes ever as he swirled his tongue all over his length. Dan hollowed his cheeks as he started to bob up and down, taking more in his mouth every time.  
“Good boy, take it deeper,” Phil purred and tugged a stray of hair behind Dan’s ear. He started to suck harder, taking him whole. Dan felt his tip hit his throat, receiving a groan from Phil. He hummed around him, his tongue digging in Phil’s slit again and he felt Phil tense his muscles.  
“Oh my- fuck!” Phil hissed and moaned out in pure bliss, feeling himself near the edge. He gently pulled Dan’s hear. “I’m close.”  
Instead of pulling off like Phil expected Dan to do, he started to suck harder and stroke his tongue over his length.  
“Shit! Dan!” Phil moaned warningly as he felt a warm feeling in his lower stomach. “I’m gonna cum! Fuck!”  
Dan felt encouraged, he eagerly moaned and swallowed around him. Phil groaned as he came right into Dan’s mouth who waited a few seconds before swallowing it, as if he was savouring the taste. Dan made sure there wasn’t any cum left before releasing Phil’s length with a satisfying pop-sound and looked up at him with a smirk, tugging him back in his boxers and pants.  
“Good morning, sunshine,” he smirked and stretched out, pecking his cheek. “Better now?”  
“Definitely better,” Phil breathed as he panted heavily. “That was amazing.”  
“Hmm, I think I had enough breakfast, don’t you think?” Dan grinned, making Phil frown.  
“That’s just gross,” he grimaced. “I’ll get you something from downstairs, okay bear?”  
“Thanks, Lion,” Dan chirped and pecked his lips. “I’ll get my wings in my back when you’re gone okay?”  
“Sure, I’ll get you some bread,” Phil smiled and quickly put a shirt and jeans on before he left. Dan opened his closet and grabbed some, what seemed like, clean jeans and pulled them on with great difficulty as they were really tight. He sighed annoyed as he glanced at his wings. Such a pain in the ass to get them back in there. Dan laid his hands on the back of his head, making as much space as he can for the gigantic set he owned. Dan grimaced as he started pushing them in his back.  
“Pretty hurts,” he groaned as he felt his internal organs get pushed aside by the coloured assholes. It took a few minutes, but the wings were now fully retreated and no longer visible. Dan pulled his favourite shirt over his head. The black eclipse one. Just as he pushed it down his stomach, the door opened and Phil walked in with a smile on his face.  
“I got you eggs and bacon!” Phil said cheerfully, showing him the plate. “Because it’s field trip day, they thought it would be nice of them to give the 3rd years extra energy for today, how nice is that?”  
“Pretty nice,” Dan smiled and took the plate from Phil, sitting down on his bed and attacking his food.  
“I knew you were hungry,” Phil chuckled and poked Dan’s side. “I told you that you had to eat properly, I don’t want you to be hungry.”  
“You’re too good for me,” Dan said, barely audible as his mouth was completely full.  
“Can I have some?” Phil asked and opened his mouth. Dan chuckled as he fed him some bacon.  
“Relationship level up,” Dan grinned and ‘booped’ Phil’s nose.  
“Definitely,” Phil chuckled and chewed on the piece of bacon, laying down on his back. He glanced at his phone and his eyes widened. “We have to run to catch the tube! It’s already 8.15 and we have to catch the tube of 8.30!”  
“We have 15 minutes, relax,” Dan said and continued eating.  
“We still have to go to the station! Which is, if I have to clarify, 15 minutes away!” Phil exclaimed and jumped up. “We have to go!”  
“For god’s sake, Phil,” Dan murmured and stood up, quickly following Phil out.

“There is our tube!” Phil exclaimed and pointed at the one who was now getting filled with passengers. Phil grabbed Dan’s hand and started to run towards it.  
“Oh my-! Phil!” Dan exclaimed as he almost tripped over his own legs, running towards the tube. They both hopped just in time into the tube and laid their hands on their knees, heavy panting. Phil looked up and smiled at Dan who smiled back.  
“Just in time,” Phil panted and stood up straight, looking around and spotting a free seat. He quickly sat down and Dan grabbed a pole as the tube started to move. “You want to sit, bear?”  
“No, I’m fine standing,” Dan smiled and squinted his eyes for a second.  
“Don’t you want to sit here?” Phil smirked and patted his lap with a cheeky wink.  
“I will when we get back, but you will be wearing a lot less,” Dan responded, winking back. He saw in the corner of his eyes a lot of disgusted looks his way and he had to suppress his laughs. Dan gripped the pole a bit tighter to keep balance as the tube shook a bit. He suddenly felt a hand stroke his bum and he tensed. It was only for a second. It must’ve been an accident. Dan had done that accidentally loads of times. He slowly relaxed and glanced around carriage until he felt, again, a hand touching his ass. But this time more firm. Dan slowly turned around, being met by an incredibly close standing 40-somewhat old man who was smirking at him.  
“Please, don’t do that,” Dan said quietly, trying to sound stern but failing miserably. He turned back, flinching as he felt almost immediately someone touch his ass again. A hand cupped him and gave him a tight squeeze. Dan squealed, making Phil look up and examine him, the hand immediately retreated, making Dan sigh relieved. Now he knows someone noticed it, he will stop for sure.  
“You okay, bear?” he asked worried. “You sure you don’t want to sit? I can stand instead.”  
“No, I’m still fine,” Dan said quietly, biting his lip as he looked at the ground.  
“Okay,” Phil said with a smile and nodded. Dan turned his face again.  
“Stop,” he squealed quietly, receiving a pinch in his ass.  
“You like that, don’t you, twink?” the man said low, winking at him.  
“No… please stop…” Dan choked out quietly as he suppressed a few tears. He felt the man push his entire body against him now and grind against him, groaning in his ear. Dan cringed scared, gripping the pole tighter. He glanced at Phil.  
“Phil,” Dan squealed scared, making Phil look up with worried eyes. He immediately saw the man grinding against his baby boy and he jumped up, almost falling over because of the moving tube.  
“Get the fuck off him, you pervert! You freak!” Phil exclaimed angrily and walked to Dan, giving the man a rough push, causing him to fall on the ground. Phil felt his wrist get snatched and turned around.  
“Young man, what do you think you’re doing!” a man in his 30ties exclaimed strict.  
“He was touching my boyfriend!” Phil said loud, boiling with anger, causing everyone in the carriage to look up as Phil pointed at the man on the ground. Dan was practically shaking by now and holding onto the pole to keep himself on his feet. The man immediately released Phil’s wrist and he made his way to Dan, wrapping his arms around him.  
“It’s okay baby, I’m here now,” Phil whispered and kissed Dan’s cheek. Dan started sobbing and hugged Phil back.  
“His hands were all over me, Phil,” he cried, sobbing into Phil’s shoulder. Phil glared over Dan’s shoulder at the man who was grinning at them. Phil pulled away from the hug as the man got on his feet. Phil threateningly approached him, and as he was way taller, he bent his neck to look as intimidate as possible.  
“What’s so funny, you disgusting bastard?” Phil growled. “Do you think sexual assault is funny?”  
“He’s practically begging for it, those jeans are way too tight for an ass like that, the slut,” the man laughed and a girl jumped up behind them. She stomped towards them.  
“ _What_ did you say!?” she exclaimed angrily. Phil turned around, seeing a pretty young girl around the same age as them. “Do you think it’s okay to touch someone because they’re wearing something in particular, you sick fuck? Someone should be able to walk around completely naked without feeling threatened!”  
“Don’t overreact there, you whore,” the man frowned and tilted his head.  
“Excuse me, what did you call her?” a tough looking boy that was first sitting next to the girl who jumped up said angrily . “Baby, I’m getting some staff, okay?”  
“Sure, Josh,” the girl answered, still glaring at the man. The boy quickly walked away, looking around. Phil turned to Dan who had tears streaming over his face, still in shock. He quickly took Dan’s face in his hands.  
“I’m here to protect you baby, don’t worry. Nobody’s touching you again,” he reassured Dan who was shaking from head to toe. He gently wiped some tears off Dan’s cheeks with his thumb, planting a gentle kiss on his lips. Dan smiled weakly at him and shrugged.  
“Sorry,” he muttered, making Phil frown.  
“Why are you sorry, baby?” Phil asked confused. “What are you apologising for?”  
“It’s my fault I was wearing these jeans,” Dan sobbed quietly, making Phil wide his eyes and furrow his eyebrows.  
“It’s not your fault, love,” Phil murmured, pecking Dan’s nose. “It’s not your fault.”  
“What seems to be the problem?” a woman asked in staff-clothing.  
“That man just sexually assaulted my boyfriend!” Phil exclaimed and pointed at the man who was now frowning at him.  
“No, I didn’t,” the man said and raised an eyebrow.  
“Really? You’re going to defend yourself? The whole fucking tube saw what you did!” the young girl exclaimed in disbelief. The staff woman looked around the carriage, seeing multiple people join in and nod. She grabbed the walkie-talkie on her belt.  
“Carriage 3, a sexual assault just took place,” she murmured and tugged it back on her belt. She looked around, seeing the crying boy holding onto a pole and she quickly walked over.  
“Are you okay, mate?” she asked worried as she examined Dan. He nodded and smiled weakly at her.  
“Yeah, thanks,” he said quietly and looked at the ground, still shaking from head to toe. Phil quickly wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closed and placed a kiss on his cheek. Dan looked up at Phil and weakly smiled at him. Soon more staff members had walked over and they gripped the man, taking him somewhere else. Dan looked at the ground and bit his lip as he heard the man whisper a little ‘bye, slut’, making Phil glare at him. Dan buried his face in Phil’s chest.  
“I thought I was the one who was going to protect _you_ ,” he chuckled and sniffed his nose, hearing a few ‘aw’s from the carriage.  
“We protect _each other_ ,” Phil smiled and pressed his lips against Dan’s head. He turned to the pretty girl and the tough looking boy. “Thanks for the back up.”  
“I know how horrible it is,” she said quietly and smiled weakly. “It’s nothing more than human to tell someone to back off when you can see this happen, right?”  
The tube slowly stopped moving and the doors opened.  
“Let’s go, bear,” Phil smiled as he held his shaking boy. “To the museum, baby.”


	16. Chapter 16

“Hey, guys!” PJ yelled, waving with Chris at the two boys who were approaching the museum. Loads of students had gathered in front of it, waiting to get permission to enter it.  
“Don’t tell them what happened, I don’t want to talk about it,” Dan mumbled to Phil as they approached Chris and PJ. The walk to the museum from the station had been in almost complete silence. Both not sure what to say. Dan had wrapped his arms around his stomach and looked at the ground the whole way. Phil wanted to say something multiple times, but somehow he couldn’t.  
“I understand,” Phil murmured back, shyly touching Dan’s hand, not getting a response. As soon as they joined the two boys, they turned to the man in front of them. Staff from the museum, a man in his 50-ies.  
“Students of year 3! May I have your attention, please?” the man said, standing in front of hundred students who were all too busy chatting. “Everybody, please listen.”  
A few students looked up, shrugged and continued their conversations. As did the four boys when PJ started to talk about their awkward and way to expensive taxi ride.  
“Please, everybody,” the man asked, almost begging, and frowned. “Everybody SHUT UP.”  
All the students looked up in shock at the man who had shouted at them, and a silence fell. Phil slowly raised an eyebrow.  
“Thanks for that quick response, everyone split in pairs,” the man explained, seeing students eye each other, choosing their partner. “We’re not giving you extra assignments for today, we just want young people to enjoy art. So feel free to walk around and admire the beautiful paintings. We don’t want you to create problems, so behave. Dismissed.”  
“Dan?” Phil asked shyly. Dan happily smiled back and nodded. The doors of the museum opened and the two almost sprinted inside. Differently from the other students who were all slowly sauntering towards the doors.  
“Wow, look at that!” Dan exclaimed as they walked in and pointed at a gigantic 4mX4m canvas, immediately trying to take his mind off what happened. He grabbed Phil’s wrist and pulled him with him. Phil almost tripped over his own legs as he got pulled away by the young boy. They stood still in front of a beautiful dark blue painting with white blue dots. It seemed to be sprayed on with a lighter shade of blue and a dark shade of purple.  
“It looks a bit spacey,” Phil noticed and smiled as he saw Dan nod eagerly.  
“I love space!” he exclaimed and pointed at a few spots on the painting. “Look how well it’s done! Look at the details! You can see the individual blobs of paint! That is so awesome! I wish I could do something like that!”  
Phil smiled and saw that Dan started to look around again. He then enthusiastically pointed at another painting, grabbing Phil’s wrist again, and violently pulling him towards the next painting. This time a beautiful blue waterfall with a brown bear eating a fish.  
“That’s you,” Phil pointed at the bear. Dan chuckled and poked Phil’s side.  
“Look at the water! Look at how blue and real the water is!” Dan exclaimed pointing at the individual drops of water. “Isn’t it beautiful! You can _see_ the individual drops of water! How cool is that? It’s so perfect!”  
“It sure is,” Phil smiled, not even looking at the painting but at the boy next to him. Dan turned to him and frowned.  
“Phil, look at the canvas!” he chuckled and nudged his elbow.  
“Baby, you can put me in a room filled with these beautiful paintings,” Phil smiled and glanced around. “But I will still find myself staring at you.”  
“Stop!” Dan chuckled and stood on his toes to peck Phil’s lips. “You’re way too sweet.”  
“You always say that!” Phil chuckled as he bent down a little to give Dan better access. “So maybe you’re right.”  
“Always so humble, too,” Dan noticed with a grin, making Phil shrug. Dan looked around again and Phil braced himself for getting pulled away. But Dan simply pointed at the painting next to the one they were standing in front of. “That’s you.”  
“How ironic,” Phil remarked as he studied the 2mX2m canvas with a majestic roaring lion. “A lion and a bear next to each other.”  
“Maybe it’s meant to be,” Dan smiled and felt Phil wrap an arm around his waist.  
“Maybe it is,” Phil answered quietly and turned to Dan, kissing him gently. Dan immediately responded with kissing him back, cupping Phil’s cheek and squeezing his hipbone.  
“Hey! You two!” an old man shouted at them. Dan and Phil pulled away and looked up, seeing an old man trotting towards them with a frown. Phil slowly raised an eyebrow. “We want none of this disgusting behaviour from anyone! Or you will get deleted from the museum!”  
“Deleted?” Phil asked slowly. The man turned around and muttered a grumpy ‘stupid horny teenagers’.  
“Oh my god,” Dan chuckled, nudging Phil’s elbow. “Did you hear what he said! Let’s follow him and make out more!”  
“I don’t want to get _deleted_ from the museum, Dan,” Phil giggled quietly and shook his head.  
“Come on, let’s have some fun,” Dan grinned and eyed the man who walked around a corner. “Let’s go.”  
“Oh my god, Dan,” Phil chuckled as Dan snatched his wrist and pulled him towards the corner. Dan peeked around it and narrowed his eyes. He then pulled Phil from behind the corner, looking around and spotting the old man, he pushed Phil against the wall, roughly kissing him. Dan’s hands roamed Phil’s chest as he loudly moaned his name into Phil’s mouth, gently biting his bottom lip.  
“Hey, you two, _again_!” they heard the man yell and footsteps approached. Dan pulled away from Phil and looked at the direction of the man. Their lips were slightly swollen and Dan smirked at the man. “Wasn’t I clear enough?”  
“I’m sorry, sir! I just couldn’t help myself,” Dan smiled innocently and glanced at a blushing Phil who was still pressed up against the wall. “I mean _look_ at him. Wouldn’t you want to do bad things to him?”  
“Dan!” Phil whisper-shouted, feeling his face heat up, making Dan giggle.  
“If I catch you two one more time, I will inform your school and delete you from the museum!” the man exclaimed angrily.  
“Delete,” Phil repeated him again slowly. He glanced at Dan with a straight look. “ _We_ will behave from now on.”  
“Sorry, sir,” Dan apologised as the man shuffled away from them. Phil narrowed his eyes at Dan as he slowly turned around to him, grinning like an idiot. “I told you that would be fun.”  
“That wasn’t fun! That was plain embarrassing!” Phil exclaimed and shook his head. “Oh my god, Dan. You are a weird one.”  
“I apologised!” Dan giggled, nudging Phil’s arm.  
“That doesn’t make it okay!” he exclaimed, raising his eyebrows and looking in the camera like it’s ‘the office’. “This guy.”  
Together they walked further through the art gallery. Dan often exclaimed and pointed enthusiastically at the beautiful paintings, and Phil smiled every time Dan snatched his wrists and made him almost trip over his own legs as he got pulled towards another painting. Soon they stood in front of a painting of a big red heart with little roses around it, eyeing the beautiful details. Phil shyly touched Dan’s hand, this time he immediately got a response and they intertwined their fingers. Phil beamed as they walked through the gallery with their hands connected. Dan suddenly spotted a big black piece of furniture. Or, not furniture actually.  
“A piano!” Dan exclaimed and pointed at the big black piano standing against the wall. Dan pulled Phil with him towards it and stroked the closed lid.  
“Do you play?” Phil asked, wrinkling his nose for a second. Dan smiled shyly.  
“A little, not very good though,” he shrugged as he sat down on the little chair. “You think this is allowed?”  
“Whatever, I want to hear you play,” Phil said smiling and gestured him to start. Dan opened the lid and ran his fingers over the tiles, not pressing any.  
“Well, there is this one piece,” Dan started and positioned his hands. “It’s called ‘Ingénue’ from Thom Yorke. I think it’s really beautiful. I spent a lot of time on it in the summer. I’m pretty bad, so don’t expect much. And Ingénue is a pretty hard piece.”  
“Play it, it sounds lovely,” Phil smiled and admired Dan’s soft looking hands. Dan smiled nervously and pressed the first few keys with his left hand, creating a echoing sound. His right hand joined in, pressing the higher notes, causing people in the gallery to look up. Dan’s hand danced over the keys, creating a beautiful symphony, his foot joining the dance on the pedal of the piano. People started to curiously walk towards the young brown haired boy who was playing beautifully on the piano. Dan didn’t even notice he was getting an audience as he felt himself drift away in the music, relaxing and swinging with it. Phil smiled like a proud parent as his boy who seemed to really love playing the piano, and he did it so well. Dan eyes fluttered shut and he took a deep breath as he continued the song, quietly humming along while the corners of his mouth twitched up. The entire art gallery had silenced and the only sound heard was the piano. Nobody really minded, though. Dan slowly finished the song and his eyes slowly opened, looking up at Phil. The crowd that formed behind Dan started applauding, causing Dan to flinch and turn around. His eyes widened and a smile grew.  
“Since when were all these people standing here?” Dan exclaimed laughing, closing the lid with a soft thud.  
“A while,” Phil smiled and Dan stood up, smiling awkwardly at all the people. “That was so beautiful, you’re so talented.”  
“It wasn’t even that good,” Dan shrugged, feeling a blush creep over his cheeks.  
“Stop being so humble, that was great,” Phil grinned taking Dan’s hand. “But we have to go now, as we have to go back to school.”  
“Alright,” Dan smiled and they walked towards the exit, getting looks from the people that were now all dividing into smaller groups, continuing their painting spotting.  
Two were walking towards the exit.  
“Dan?” Phil asked, stroking the roof of Dan’s hand with his thumb.  
“Yeah?” Dan asked, looking at Phil with a smile  
“What did that man do to you?” Phil asked quietly, softly squeezing his hand as he felt Dan tense. Dan immediately looked away.  
“I already said that I don’t want to talk about that,” Dan mumbled and bit his lip, he looked at the ground, making Phil stop dead in his tracks. He turned to Dan.  
“I understand this is a hard thing to deal with, but if we want to be a functioning couple we’re going to have to be able to talk about things like this,” Phil said quietly, taking Dan’s other hand too, squeezing it lightly. “Everybody goes through rough times, and this is of course a horrible thing. But if we can’t talk about it, I don’t think we can’t make it through hard times. You can tell me anything, baby.”  
“I know,” Dan answered quietly, looking at the ground. Phil rubbed his thumb softly over the roof of Dan’s hand. “Well first I felt someone touch my ass, and I thought it was an accident. Because everybody accidentally does that sometimes-” Dan smiled weakly. “-But then I felt it again, and he actually squeezed my butt and I turned around. And there was this man, he was so close to me… he looked at me with this face. It was so disgusting!” Dan bit his lip as he thought back, feeling tears prickling in his eyes. “I told him to stop… and you asked if something was wrong, and I said ‘no’. And I should’ve said ‘yes’ but I thought that after I told him to stop, he would-” Dan started to talk faster with every word he said, occasionally blinking away a tear. “But he didn’t, I told him to stop again. He said I liked it, he called me a twink… I don’t even know what that means!” Dan started sobbing and let himself fall against Phil’s chest, crying into it. “H-he kept t-touching me, and suddenly h-he pressed himself a-against me! And then you saw it, and s-saved me.” Dan’s fingers tangled in Phil’s shirt, crying violently. “W-why would s-someone do tha-that?”  
“Good boy, let it out,” Phil shushed quietly, rubbing his back. “It’s all okay now, it’s over. Whatever you’re thinking, it was _not_ your fault.”  
“Phil, I can still feel his hands on me,” Dan cried, holding onto Phil. “I feel so disgusting…”  
“You’re not disgusting, baby,” Phil whispered, his one hand in his hair, the other one on his gently rubbing back. “You’re beautiful, you’re so amazing. That man was just a pervert, someone who doesn’t know how to behave properly when someone is so pretty as you.”  
“If being pretty means you have to go through things like this, I don’t want to be pretty,” Dan quietly sobbed. “Why would someone do something like this…?”  
“I don’t know baby, just relax,” Phil shushed him, petting his hair. “It kills me to see you like this.”  
“You two, this is your 3rd strike!” the old man from before suddenly called out again, stomping towards them. Phil looked up, shooting him an angry glare, making the man stop dead in his tracks with a shocked look on his face. “Sorry for interrupting.”  
He turned on his heels and quickly walked away, making Phil smile triumphantly. Dan pulled away from the hug and looked up at Phil.  
“I love you,” he murmured, pressing a kiss against Phil’s cheek, smiling weakly. Phil smiled back and wiped the tears from Dan’s face.  
“I love you too, bear,” Phil beamed and took Dan’s hand, walking out of the museum.


	17. Chapter 17

“I’m really proud of you that you told me everything,” Phil smiled and put his arm around Dan’s shoulder. “It must’ve been hard for you.”  
They were on the tube back, and Dan was practically shaking in his seat next to Phil the whole ride. The carriage was almost empty, but Dan was still tensed. His eyes occasionally shot around, looking scared, his hands clammy. Thankfully Phil was there to comfort him the whole ride, making sure no one would even look at him without receiving a glare. Dan looked up at him and smiled weakly as Phil pecked his lips.  
“Thanks being there for me,” Dan responded quietly with now a genuine smile, sighing deeply.  
“Always, baby,” Phil smiled back and Dan laid his head on his shoulder, closing his eyes. “I’ll take care of you.”  
“We take care of _each other_ ,” Dan corrected smiling, feeling himself relax a bit. “You’re the best.”  
“After you,” Phil chuckled, gently ‘booping’ his nose, receiving a little giggle from Dan.  
“If you say so,” Dan shrugged with a smirk. The tube slowly stopped moving and the doors opened. Phil widened his eyes.  
“We’re here. Jesus Christ, that’s a lot of people,” Dan exclaimed annoyed, narrowing his eyes.  
“Wow…” Phil gasped quietly as he saw a gigantic crowd of people, rushing to get off and on the tube.  
“Come on, let’s go,” Dan said and got up, walking towards the doors. Phil hesitantly stood up too, already feeling nervous as he saw the gigantic wasp nest of people. They both hastily hopped off and walked towards the exit, politely pushing themselves through the crowd. Dan on front, Phil quickly following the power-walking boy. A bright light caught Phil’s eye, causing him to look around. Seeing gigantic beaming billboard with bees on it, advertising a type of honey. Phil smiled as he kept his eyes on the happy bees, distracted as they flew around the board. He turned around and frowned as he looked around.  
“Dan?” Phil asked quietly, looking around. He felt a familiar feeling in his stomach bottling up. A feeling he hadn’t had in a while, and he wanted it to stay away. “Dan?” Phil asked again, looking around. Making a turn. People. Turning around again. People. So many people. Too many people. “D-Dan? Where are y-you?” Phil called out quietly, feeling his legs shake. Feeling his stomach turn. Feeling bees in his hands. Feeling his brain fly out of his head. Feeling his heart pound in his chest. Feeling tears stocking up behind his eyes. He looked around again. People. There were only people. So many people. Too many people. “Da-Dan?” Phil pleaded starting to walk into a random direction, not realising he’s walking directly into an even heavier crowd. Phil started to breathe quicker. So many people. Too many people! Phil turned again around, walking into another direction and looked at the billboard again. It didn’t seem so happy now. Phil wrapped his arms around his stomach as he felt himself getting nauseous. So many people. So much noise. Too much noise. “Dan!” Phil squealed and looked around. The tears now started to drip out of his eyes as he felt the anxiety built up. Way too many people. Way too much noise. Why do so many people make so much noise? Phil turned around again as his breathing became heavy and shockery. A little squeal sounded with every inhale. His hands started shaking, his knees turned to rubber. The world started to spin, why were there so many people? He felt his legs shake and they eventually gave in, falling on his knees. He saw people walking his way with worried eyes, but none of them were the brown warm ones he wanted to see. Lost in fear he covered his ears with his hands and squeezed his eyes shut, crying loudly, shoulders shaking violently. He occasionally let out a small ‘D-Dan, where a-are yo-you…?”.   
If you’re wondering how he felt, imagine this:  
You’re sitting on a chair, rocking back and forwards. And suddenly, you feel yourself falling backwards. You can feel your heartbeat speed up, the fear in your stomach. Your eyes widen as you quickly lean forward and feel the chair land on its four legs again. You take a deep breath.  
That feeling. That feeling of your heartbeat, the fear in your stomach. That’s anxiety. Except that in this situation, you feel it for a second, maybe even less. With an attack, you feel it constantly. All the time. For minutes, could be hours. That’s the horror called anxiety. And it’s _not_ cute. And it’s _not_ funny. It is horrible.  
In the meantime Dan had almost found his way to the exit, and he turned around, not being met by the ocean blue eyes he expected. Dan frowned as he looked around.  
“Phil?” he asked and stood on his toes, searching for the black hair, not finding it. He sighed annoyed. “For god’s sake.”  
He suddenly saw the crowd split up, all forming a big circle. Dan curiously trotted towards it. As he is pretty tall, he stood up on his tip toes and saw that they all stood around a little figure on the floor. Violently crying and covering his ears with his hands. Dan immediately recognised the boy with the black locks as Phil and pushed his way through the crowd. As he neared Phil, he heard his heavy breathing and a ramble that went so fast you were barely able to understand it.  
“DanwhereareyouDanwhereareyouDanwhereareyou…” Phil rambled, sobbing loudly with his eyes squeezed shut and squealed as he inhaled. “Somanypeoplesomuchnoise…” a quick inhale with a loud squeak echoed in Dan’s ears “Danwhereareyoutoomanypeopletoomuchnoise…”  
“Phil, baby I’m right here,” Dan rushed to him, crouching down next to him.  
“Toomanypeopletoomuchnoisenoairtoomuch,” Phil rambled and rocked back and forwards, still his hands covering his ears as he soaked his face with tears.  
“Everyone give him some space!” Dan told the people who were standing around them as he stood up. Most of them didn’t even take a step back, whilst the amount of people coming closer was building up. “Jesus Christ, humans are so stupid.”  
“NoairtoomanypeoplewhereisDantoomuchnoisecan’tbreath,” Phil sobbed and loudly squealed as he inhaled again. Dan glared at the people around them, asking if they could step back again, a little less polite this time. Still nobody even listened to him and kept watching the crying boy.  
“I said: GET BACK,” Dan screamed angrily, making a violent push-motion. The people around them got launched backwards by the invisible force that was Motus. People started screaming and pointing and running away. Dan ignored the foolish humans and crouched next to the only one who was important.  
“Phil, I’m here. Please calm down…” Dan pleaded quietly and gently pulled Phil’s hands from his ears, feeling him flinch. He shyly opened his eyes, making eye-contact with the eyes he wanted to see from the beginning.  
“Dan!” Phil exclaimed and bear hugged him, crying violently, still squealing with every breath the poor boy took. Dan pulled away from the hug after a few seconds and cupped Phil’s cheeks, forcing him to make eye-contact. Phil was shaking from head to toe, shockery breaths were escaping his mouth with an occasional squeal.  
“Phil, look at me,” Dan pleaded. “Phil, please calm down. I’m here now. I’m right here. You can calm down now. Why aren’t you calming down… please, calm down. Phil, everything is okay… what’s wrong? I’m here now…”  
“D-Dan…” Phil breathed, fingers tangling in his shirt as he gasped for breath.  
“Please, I don’t know what to do… Phil?” Dan begged and started kissing his face. Little pecks on his cheeks, kissing away his tears, over his nose, his chin, his forehead. Desperately trying to calm him down a bit. “Phil… what do I do…? Tell me what you need…”  
“I.. I c-can’t breathe, no a-air,” Phil gasped for breath and anxiously looked around. “Too m-much noise…”  
“The exit. Outside, fresh air,” Dan thought fast and released Phil’s cheeks. “Come on, baby. Stand up, let’s go outside.”  
Dan slowly stood up, pulling Phil up with him. He was shaking on his legs, holding onto Dan to keep himself from falling. As they were standing, Dan looked towards the exit, so many people. He felt Phil’s nails dig into his skin and breathe heavily. Dan prayed silently that he wouldn’t get murdered for this, and made another powerful push-motion. People got launched backwards, creating a straight and clear path towards the exit.  
“Come on, baby,” Dan pleaded as he almost dragged Phil towards the exit, hearing screams from the people who were watching them. Dan looked around, seeing a boy around 15 years old filming them on their IPhone. Dan raised his hand, his finger pointing at the phone. He felt his power connect with the object and he yanked it out of his hands, throwing it on the ground, picking it up and throwing it on the ground again. The boy looked up from the scattered pieces of phone on the ground at a young brown haired boy who was flicking his finger at him, looking slightly offended and scared. Dan dragged Phil outside and spotted a park bench. He pulled him towards it and they sat down, ignoring the weird looks they were getting. Dan cupped Phil’s cheeks again and bit his lip as he saw his boy breathing heavily.  
“Together, Phil. Let’s breathe. Together,” Dan reassured Phil, nodding at him. Dan slowly inhaled and held his breath for a few seconds. He then slowly let the air escape through his mouth. Phil desperately tried to copy his breathing, failing miserably. Panicking over his breath he started to flail with his hands. “Baby, please. Come on, together. We take care of each other, remember?”  
Phil quickly nodded and Dan repeated his breathing. Phil tried to copy him again, trying to concentrate.  
“Good job, Lion. You can get through this,” Dan smiled and deeply inhaled again, holding his breath for a few seconds, and exhaled through his mouth. Phil gulped as his breathing slowly turned to normal. “Good boy, just like that, baby. Bear with me! Concentrate on your breathing.”  
They repeated the act several times until Phil seemed to completely master it and his breathing was fully normal again, even though he was still shaking. Phil had stopped crying and smiled at Dan who smiled back at him, stroking his cheek with his thumb, gently wiping away his tears.  
“Good job, baby, I’m proud of you!” Dan praised and pecked his lips. “What was that all of a sudden?”  
“I just don’t like crowds,” Phil shrugged shyly and gasped quietly.  
“Jesus, Phil! You scared me to death! Why didn’t you tell me you had an anxiety disorder, baby! I didn’t know what to do! You could’ve been dead from all I know!” Dan exclaimed, pecking Phil’s lips after every sentence.  
“It’s not a disorder,” Phil responded quietly. “It’s not that extreme.”  
“You weren’t even able to breath properly!” Dan exclaimed, feeling tears prickling in his eyes. “I was so scared, Phil! Why didn’t you tell me?”  
“I didn’t think it would be a problem,” Phil explained with a weak smile. “I’m sorry.”  
“No, don’t apologise! You couldn’t help it, baby,” Dan said quickly, pulling him in a hug. “What an eventful trip this was, am I right?”  
“Definitely,” Phil chuckled and wrapped his arms around Dan’s waist, he sniffled quietly. “I love you, bear.”  
“I love you too, lion.”


	18. Chapter 18

“Dan, what are you doing?” Phil asked frowning as he looked at the other boy, laying on his stomach and narrowing his eyes whilst reading something on his laptop. They came back from dinner a few hours ago and had talked about the field trip a bit. Phil had mentioned to PJ and Chris how well Dan plays the piano, who had blushed and told them he wasn’t that good. Phil even suggested that he should play more as they had a piano in school. Dan had politely declined it, but Phil knew he was going to play some more. He simply had to. Neither of them said anything about what happened to Dan. Neither of them said anything what happened with Phil.  
Dan looked up from his laptop for a second, and focused back on the screen.  
“I’m looking at things to do when your friend has a panic attack,” Dan murmured and scrolled down a bit, biting his lip. “I did pretty good, if I say so myself.”  
“Dan, that’s not necessarily,” Phil sighed and plopped down onto Dan’s bed and quickly skimmed the page. “It won’t happen again.”  
“You don’t know that,” Dan furrowed his eyebrows and turned to Phil. “I want to be prepared if that happens again!”  
“That’s really sweet,” Phil chuckled and pecked Dan’s cheek before standing up again. “What are the things you have to do?”  
“Tip number 1.” Dan read out loud, sitting up and placing the laptop on his lap. He cleared his throat and squinted his eyes. “ _Stay with the person and keep them calm_. I did that! 2. _Offer medicine if the person usually takes it during an attack_. Do you take any medicine?”  
“No, I don’t have to! I told you it’s not that big of a deal!” Phil exclaimed and paced back and forwards in the room. “Continue.”  
“3. _Move the person to a quiet place._ Did that one too, kind of…” Dan smiled and tilted his head. “4. _Don't make assumptions about what the person needs. Ask_. Yep, did that one too. I’m great, aren’t I? 5. _Speak to the person in short, simple sentences._ Okay, I kind of did that. 6. _Be predictable. Avoid surprises._. Did I surprise you?”  
“When you pushed all those people away,” Phil chuckled, making Dan’s face pale.  
“Shit, I hope the Optimi won’t kill me. They will most definitely find out, though,” Dan murmured scared. “I’m expecting a very angry call from my mum later. Well, it was for you. So it was worth it.”  
“Yeah, right,” Phil chuckled. “Continue.”  
“Tip number 7. _Help the person focus by asking him or her to repeat a simple, physically tiring task such as raising his or her arms over the head_. Didn’t’ to that one. I’m sorry, I’ll keep it in mind next time.”  
“It’s okay, you didn’t even know what to do, so you did great for being someone who didn’t know shit about it,” Phil smiled. “Go on.”  
“Next is 8. _Help slow the person's breathing by breathing with him or her._ Hey, that is cool, I did that exactly! I’m so good,” Dan exclaimed cockily wiggling his eyebrows at Phil.  
“I told you that you are great!” Phil grinned. “Was that it?”  
“Last but not least, I think this is the most important one, actually. 9. _Do not panic when the person panics_ ,” Dan read, his eyes skimming the page again. “I didn’t panic.”  
“You kind of panicked,” Phil admitted with a giggle.  
“No, I didn’t!” Dan exclaimed offended. “I was relaxed as fuck.”  
“You used your powers to launch people away from me, putting yourself and your entire community in danger,” Phil responded, raising his eyebrows.  
“Shut up, I just wanted to help,” Dan murmured back. “I was calm.”  
“Yeah, totally,” Phil sighed sarcastically. “But I’ve got a great idea, actually! Let’s go to the music hall!”  
“Why?” Dan sighed and closed the lid of his laptop, placing it next to him. Phil made a piano gesture with his hands with a grin, causing Dan to shake his head. “No, I don’t want to embarrass myself.”  
“How would you embarrass yourself, baby? You played beautifully back in the art gallery,” Phil exclaimed and plopped down onto the bed next to Dan. “Everyone loved it!”  
“Shut up,” Dan chuckled blushing and poked Phil’s side.  
“It’s true!” Phil laughed and pecked Dan’s cheek. “Maybe you can teach me a bit?”  
“I’m not giving you piano lessons,” Dan said stern as he shook his head with a smile. Phil pouted.  
“Why not?” he whined, dragging out the ‘o’ and laying his head in Dan’s lap, looking up at Dan.  
“Because I have bad memories of my own piano lessons,” Dan chuckled and stroked Phil’s cheek, making him raise his eyebrows. “My teacher was an evil bitch, so I quit.”  
“Yeah, but you’re not an evil bitch,” Phil exclaimed. He slowly tilted his head a bit, narrowing his eyes. “Well, sometimes actually you-”  
“Phil!” Dan exclaimed offended, pinching his cheek. “I’m sometimes evil, and sometimes a bitch. Deal with it, you twat.”  
“If you give me piano lessons,” Phil responded with a little smile. “Pretty pleeeeeaaaase?”  
“The physical appearance of the please will not help for anything,” Dan noted and grinned, making Phil pout.  
“It’s like 9pm,” Phil whined, tugging Dan’s arm and looking at him with begging eyes. “We can go right now.”  
“Phil, don’t do that!” Dan exclaimed and pinched Phil’s nose.  
“Do what?” Phil asked with a nasal voice and chuckled.  
“That face! Those eyes!” Dan responded, releasing Phil’s nose and covering his eyes. “Stop being so cute, you know I can’t handle that!”  
“Danny-bear…? Please be my piano teacher,” Phil pleaded, his voice going a few octaves higher as he sat up, gently pulling Dan’s hands away and looking at him with puppy-eyes. “Please, teach me how to piano. I love you…”  
“ ‘how to piano’? Oh my god, Phil,” Dan chuckled and pecked Phil’s lips. They stared at each other for a few seconds until Dan sighed annoyed. “We’ll try one lesson, and if it’s fun, I’ll continue. But only if it’s fun, okay!”  
“Yay! Thanks, bear!” Phil smiled and gently kissed Dan for a few seconds before jumping up from the bed. “Let’s go.”  
“Okay, but one lesson!” Dan exclaimed as Phil took his hand and slowly dragged him up from the bed. “See it as a free trial.”  
“Do I have to pay you after this lesson, then?” Phil asked, raising his eyebrow, and smirked as Dan nodded with a sly grin. Phil winked. “Hmm, with what?”  
“Bags of Maltesers,” Dan decided and they walked out of the dorm, trotting down the stairs. Phil saw the music hall nearing and he squealed in enthusiasm as he started to pick up his pace. Dan chuckled as he saw his boy trot towards it in excitement. Phil hastily pushed the door open, looking around with big eyes. He almost never came in this part of the school, and the last time he was here it looked a bit different. It was a big square room with mirrors for walls. Most of the instruments had been replaced by newer and more beautiful pieces. A gigantic white grand piano was standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by a few other instruments. Such as trumpets, violins, horns, and a drum set. Dan widened his eyes as he entered the room too.  
“Wow, they changed it a lot,” Dan said as he looked around. His gaze stopped and he eyed the piano. “This one is new.”  
“You came here often last year?” Phil asked curiously as they walked towards the instrument.  
“Yeah, playing music really helped me through and forget everything when I felt a bit crap,” Dan shrugged with a smile and let his hand slide over the white keys. He pressed a few keys. G F# B E D- (My Chemical Romance, Welcome to the black parade intro).  
“Stop, you’re going to make me cry, Dan!” Phil exclaimed, swatting Dan’s hand of the piano keys. Dan raised his eyebrows.  
“What is this for behaviour from a student? I’m your teacher now. You refer to me as Mr. Howell or sir,” Dan smirked and winked, making Phil chuckle. “Whichever you prefer.”  
“Okay _sir_ ,” he corrected himself. “What are you going to teach me first?”  
“Can you read notes?” Dan asked as Phil sat down on the piano stool. Phil threw his head back and sighed annoyed.  
“I don’t want to learn that! Teach me how to play a song, sir,” Phil whined annoyed. “Reading notes is sooo _boring_.”  
“Jesus Christ, Phil. You can’t even read notes?” Dan exclaimed. Phil shook his head with a grin and shrugged. “Well, what song do you want to learn first? Keep it easy, though.”  
“The one you just played, from My Chem,” Phil decided. “The black parade!”  
“Okay, well we start with a G-note,” Dan explained and pointed at a white key in between 2 black ones. Phil brought his finger towards it and pressed it, smiling as he heard the sound. “That’s not even how you hold your hand, Phil.”  
“How _do_ I hold my hands then, Mr. Howell?” Phil asked playfully and grinned, his tongue poking out. Dan took Phil’s hand and placed it on the keys. His thumb on the F, index finger on the F# and middle on the G, the pink on the B. The other finger was randomly laying on another key in between. Dan pressed on Phil’s middle finger, index finger and then his pink. Creating the first 3 notes. Phil smiled at Dan as he pressed his fingers down onto the keys. Dan chuckled as he felt Phil’s eyes burn into him.  
“Concentrate on the piano, student,” Dan giggled. “I’m teaching you how to play piano, focus.”  
“I’d rather play with you, sir,” Phil purred and groped Dan’s ass. Dan screamed and gave Phil a rough push, jumping back. Phil fell backwards onto the floor on his bum and they looked at each other in shock for a few seconds. Dan froze as he stared at Phil with big eyes, opening his mouth. It took a few seconds until the words came out.  
“I… I’m sorry… I didn’t…” Dan stuttered and backed away a few steps. He then turned on his heels and power-walked towards the door.  
“No! Dan, wait!” Phil exclaimed, quickly jumping up and running towards Dan, almost tripping over his own legs and holding his hands out towards Dan. Dan started to run now too, and Phil immediately saw where he was going. The exit.  
“Dan!” Phil exclaimed, already heavy panting as he chased Dan down the corridors. “Wait!”  
Dan tugged at his shirt, and ripped it off as he pushed the doors of the exit open. It was already dark outside and the boys could barely see. Phil’s eyes widened as he saw Dan’s wings jump out of his back, ready to take off. Phil screamed as he launched himself towards Dan who jumped up, just in time to grab one of his ankles as he shot up in the air. Dan almost fell and injected himself into a tree at the sudden weight, but soon was flying higher and higher.  
“Dan! Please land! Oh my god!” Phil screamed as he felt his hands ache. Tears were welling up in his eyes and he squeezed the shut. Dan ignored Phil’s requests and kept going, shaking his feet around. Phil squealed high. “Please, Dan!”  
He kept his eyes shut as he felt Dan accelerating, a cold wind grabbed his clothes. Dan shuddered as he kept going higher and looked around. Phil dangerously dangled around, starting to sob. He felt his hand slowly slip away from Dan’s ankle and he screamed loudly. This was it. He was going to fall down, and die.  
“Dan!” Phil screamed as he felt his fingers give in, and slip away from Dan’s foot. He felt his feet immediately land on the ground without feeling any pain. Phil slowly opened his eyes and looked around with a frown. He couldn’t see much but all he knew was that he was standing on the roof of the school, Dan was hovering in front of him. He slowly lowered himself and touched the floor too. Phil’s cheeks were soaked with tears of shock as he looked around. Stunned. Dan walked towards a corner of the roof and opened his hand. A fireball ignited in his hand and he shot it towards the corner. A little fire pit got set on fire and crackled a bit. A few sparks flew out of it and Dan slowly walked towards it, his wings drooping down. The fire lit up the corner of the roof and Phil saw in the an old mattress on the floor with a few cloths on it. Phil stared at Dan who sat down on the mattress on put a cloth over his bare shoulders, covering his wings too. Dan smiled weakly and patted the place next to him. Phil slowly approached him and sat down. Dan immediately wrapped his arms around Phil and pushed his face in his chest.  
“I’m sorry,” Dan murmured as he felt Phil’s arms slowly wrap around him, shyly petting his wings.  
“What was that all of a sudden, bear? You know I was just playing around,” Phil said quietly. “I don’t want to force you into anything.”  
“No! It’s not like that!” Dan stammered. “It’s just… when you touched me, all I could feel was that man… and… I’m so sorry…”  
“Wow, baby! Don’t apologise!” Phil exclaimed, hugging Dan tightly. “I should’ve known. You just had a traumatic experience, if _anyone_ is supposed to say sorry, than that’s me. And I’m sorry, baby.”  
They sat there in silence for a few seconds. Phil stared into the fire as he felt Dan’s body heat against his and sighed deep.  
“You came here a lot, I see,” Phil started and smiled.  
“Yeah, I had to fly sometimes,” Dan shrugged. “And there is no other way then flying to get up this roof, so I put some stuff here to make it a bit more comfortable. No one has found out yet. Secret sunbathe sessions in the summer and making perfect snow angels in the winter.”  
“It’s cosy,” Phil noticed smiling, pressing his lips against Dan’s head. “The next time something like this happens, don’t just run off like that. We have to communicate.”  
“I know,” Dan sighed. “I know but sometimes dealing with your problems sounds like such a pain. Sometimes I just can’t be bothered, you know.”  
There was another short silence. Phil looked up at the dark night sky.  
“The stars are pretty tonight,” he remarked with a smile, feeling Dan’s head lift up from his chest.  
“My mood always lifts by a million percent when there are stars in the sky,” Dan smiled as he admired the white dots. “It’s so beautiful. And infinite. And, oh god, they’re everywhere.”  
“You see that star?” Phil asked and pointed at one that shone the brightest. Dan looked at Phil with a smile and nodded. “It says you’re a nerd.”  
“Hey!” Dan chuckled and gave Phil a little push. “I thought you were going to say something romantic!”  
“Like what?” Phil asked and looked back up. Dan pointed at the sky.  
“That star is particularly beautiful,” Dan noted with a smile. “You know who else is beautiful?”  
“Who?” Phil asked blushing, looking at Dan with a small smile.  
“Kanye West,” Dan grinned, laughing quietly as Phil gives him a gentle push. They looked at each other in silence, admiring the other person’s features. Phil stared into Dan’s eyes, feeling a warm fuzzy feeling in his stomach as he loved how beautiful they looked in the moonlight. Dan stared back at him, noticing how the striking blue eyes of his boyfriend had specks of green and yellow and he sighed quietly. Phil slowly brought his hand up, cupping Dan’s cheek. He let his thumb slide over his cheek bone and looked at him with loving eyes. Dan blushed as he continued to stare back at Phil.  
“Just wondering,” Dan whispered after what felt like hours. “Are we having a stare-off?”  
“Shut up and kiss me,” Phil responded and hesitantly pressing his lips against Dan’s, not wanting to freak him out again. Dan responded with gently kissing back, smiling a bit. Their lips brushed together as if they’ve never done anything else, creating a steady pace.  
“I love you…” Phil moaned into Dan’s mouth, receiving a giggle from him.  
“I love you too…” Dan moaned back, intertwining their tongues. Phil’s hand was resting on Dan’s jaw, his other one shyly travelled up his stomach, roaming his bare chest. Dan’s hand travelled up to Phil’s hand, lacing their fingers together. Phil pulled away with a questioning look. Did Dan really didn’t even let him touch his chest?  
“I’m sorry, just not today, okay?” Dan said quietly, looking down. Phil gently took Dan’s chin in his hand, making him look up.  
“I don’t care, I love you,” Phil smiled and pecked Dan’s lips. “So, so much.”  
“And you have no idea how much I love you back,” Dan smiled.  
“Yeah, but real talk,” Phil started with a grin, looking around. “How in the heavens are you going to get me down safely?”  
“I don’t know. We’ll figure something out,” Dan shrugged smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Oh yeah, that Libertas Volandi fic? The autor said she'd upload on Wednesday and today it's Friday and-"
> 
> Sorry for being a bit late  
> I was too busy being in the hospital  
> Dying  
> Well, not really but I had to get my stomach pumped for taking a bit too much pills...  
> Anyway I hope you liked the new chapter!
> 
> Have a lovely day


	19. Chapter 19

After at least half an hour of almost death drops and belly laughs, Dan had Phil in his arms bridal style and stood on the edge of the roof. Phil’s arms shook a bit and he squeezed his eyes shut.  
“Please be careful,” Phil squeaked scared and cringed. Dan gave his hand a soft pat.  
“It’ll be okay,” he smiled warm and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. “Are you afraid of heights?”  
“I’m not afraid of anything,” Phil said, trying to sound strong but failing miserably. Dan chuckled and squeezed his arm.  
“You _do_ realise that you’re cringing, squealing and squeezing your eyes shot right now?” Dan asked with a grin, receiving a poke from Phil.  
“Take me down, alien,” Phil demanded and saw Dan’s wings spread. A squeaked quietly as he them flapped a few times.  
“Ready?” Dan asked and pulled Phil a bit closer. Phil nodded and braced himself as Dan started flapping his wings a bit harder and used a bit more power, feeling himself lift up. Phil wasn’t that heavy but flying sure was more difficult carrying him. Dan stuck out his foot and stepped off the room, falling down a meter, making Phil scream loudly. Dan laughed and caught them as he violently clapped his wings, slowly lowering them towards the ground.  
“Did you do that on purpose!?” Phil exclaimed angrily. “You asshole! I was so afraid!”  
“I thought you weren’t afraid of anything,” Dan responded with a cheeky wink. Phil’s face heat up, making Dan chuckle. It took a few minutes until Dan’s feet touched the ground again. Phil immediately jumped on the ground and laid down.  
“Oh yes… I love the ground…” Phil moaned as he petted the ground, making Dan raise an eyebrow. Dan looked around and saw his shirt on the floor next to the entrance of the school. He trotted towards it and grabbed it, pushing against the door.  
“You done making sweet love to the ground?” Dan asked giggling. Phil looked up and grinned. He jumped up and quickly caught up with Dan who opened the door and entered the building. A few minutes later Dan and Phil cuddled up against each other in bed. Their bodies were still cold because of the air outside, but it didn’t matter to them. Phil had wrapped his arms around Dan’s still bare torso, asking him about a million times if it was okay for him to touch him. Dan had chuckled and said that he would tell him as soon as he felt uncomfortable.  
“I love you,” Dan whispered, tired of flying with the extra weight and making the fire.  
“I love you too, now go to sleep, baby,” Phil whispered back and briefly pressed his lips against Dan’s neck for a seconds, feeling him shudder. Phil tensed. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-”  
“No, it’s just that your face is so cold against my neck,” Dan chuckled. “Don’t worry.”  
“Good night,” Phil whispered. It was the last thing Dan heard before he drifted away into his dream world.

Dan groaned and rolled around in bed, his arms searching for Phil. He touched the empty spot next to him and slowly opened his eyes.  
“Phil?” he asked quietly with his morning voice breaking in the middle. He sat up and scratched the back of his head whilst holding one eye closed because of the sun. He yawned loudly and looked around, seeing a note on his nightstand. He stretched out and grabbed it.

_Taking a quick shower_  
You snore btw  
Love you  
PL 

“PL?” Dan whispered and frowned. He smiled and tilted his head. “Phil Lester.”  
Dan grabbed Phil’s pillow next to him and hugged it, eyes fluttering shut and inhaling his scent. He hummed and snuggled into it. The place were Phil laid was still warm, which means he was here a minute ago or less. Dan opened his eyes and frowned.  
“I should make that phone call now Phil isn’t here anyway,” Dan murmured and threw Phil’s pillow aside, grabbing his phone from the nightstand. He quickly dialled the number and swayed his legs out of the bed. He pressed the phone against his ear and waited.  
“Hello, dear!” Dan’s mum exclaimed happily. “Why are you calling?”  
“About Christmas dinner,” Dan said. “I thought because we are having a human over, maybe we shouldn’t-”  
“Daniel, I already know what you’re going to say. It’s tradition,” Dan’s mum said strict. “We celebrate the victory of our people.”  
“Yeah, but he’s _human_ mum!” Dan exclaimed angrily. “You can’t eat that when he’s there! That is just plain sick!”  
“Traditions are there to repeat,” Dan’s mum said. “They killed hundreds of us.”  
“And we’re still killing thousands of them!” Dan exclaimed. “Please, can you for once in your life just LISTEN to me!?”  
“I’ll see you then, Daniel,” Dan’s mum said and ended the call.

 

“How can I forget a towel,” Phil murmured annoyed as he trotted back up all the stairs. He literally just left and was stood in front of the bathrooms when he realised that he forget the thing everyone else there brought. He turned on his heels and started climbing all the stairs.  
“…can’t eat that when he’s there! That is just plain sick!” Dan’s voice echoed angrily through Phil’s ears as he approached the door. He frowned and placed his ear against it, listening to the conversation Phil was guessing was through a phone.  
“And we’re still killing thousands of them! Please, can you for once in your life just LISTEN to me!?......... Hello?..... Hello!?....... Are you kidding me!?” Dan’s voice sounded angry and upset and Phil slowly walked in with his eyebrows raised.  
“You okay, baby?” Phil asked as he examined Dan. He was just in his boxers and was pacing around, his head jolted up when he heard Phil coming in.  
“I’m fine,” Dan growled and plopped down on his bed, arms folded as he angrily stared forward. Phil tilted his head as he slowly approached him, sitting down next to him.  
“You seem upset,” Phil said and gently put his arms around Dan. “Relax. Nothing to worry about, right?”  
“I was just thinking… maybe you shouldn’t come over for Christmas,” Dan said quietly and bit his lip. Phil frowned.  
“Why not? Your mum invited me,” he said slightly offended and loosened his grip around Dan’s body. “You don’t want me to meet your family? Is it because I’m human?”  
“Phil, it’s just… I can’t tell you,” Dan choked out. “I’m saying this to protect you.”  
“You don’t have to protect me, Dan! I’m not afraid!” Phil exclaimed. “You can’t expect me to do whatever you say because ‘you want to protect me’!-” he did quotation marks in the air and slowly raised his voice –“You can’t even tell me why!”  
“You just have to trust me!” Dan exclaimed and cringed as Phil raised his voice. He always hated it when people yelled at him. He couldn’t even handle it when someone talked slightly louder than usual. “You’re the one always nagging how we should trust each other in our relationship!”  
“Oh, so now I’m _nagging_ because I don’t want you to be upset?” Phil exclaimed angrily and folded his arms with a frown. “I just want us to be happy together!”  
“Jesus Christ, just cancel Christmas at my place, okay,” Dan growled and bawled his fists. “You’re going to regret it if you come anyway.”  
“Not a chance. We are going to celebrate Christmas at your place, and we’re going to have fun,” Phil concluded, jumping up and grabbing his towel.  
“Jesus Christ, Phil, please,” Dan exclaimed annoyed. Phil walked out without saying another word. Dan stared at the open door for a second in disbelief. Did that _really_ just happen?  
“Phil!” Dan exclaimed and jumped up, trotting out of the room. He saw Phil and quickly caught up with him. “Phil, chotto!”  
“Dan, are you aware of the fact that you’re still in your boxers?” Phil asked annoyed and trotted down the stairs. Dan snatched Phil’s wrist and pulled him backwards, almost making him fall over.  
“Phil, wait!” Dan growled as Phil turned around. They looked at each other for a moment and they attacked each other’s lips. Dan immediately deepened the kiss by sticking his tongue in as Phil pushed him against the railing of the staircase.  
“You’re a fucking asshole,” Dan growled into Phil’s mouth and moaned.  
“You love me,” Phil groaned and intertwined their tongues. Their lips stayed connected for another minute until Phil pulled back and looked at Dan with a strict face. Dan’s lips were slightly swollen and he still had a semi-angry look on his face. He was flustered and clutching onto the railing. “Repeat after me: Christmas at my place.”  
“Christmas at my place,” Dan murmured annoyed. And frowned at Phil. “I can’t believe that worked, you fucking twat. Are we becoming _that_ couple. The ones that are like ‘I hate you!’ ‘I hate you too!’ passionate making out. I really don’t want that.”  
“Go back to the dorm and put some clothes on, I’ll be back in a few minutes. See you then, baby,” Phil chirped, ignoring Dan’s commentary and trotted down the stairs, leaving Dan frowning at him. Dan turned around and dragged himself back up the stairs.  
“Howell!” a familiar voice snarled. Dan froze and closed his eyes, cursing himself for leaving the dorm. He slowly turned around staring directly into the eyes of a very angry Michael. “Stop avoiding me, you disgusting weirdo.”  
“I kind of forgot about your existence,” Dan shrugged as he wrapped his arms around his stomach, feeling exposed. He clenched his teeth as he glanced at Michael’s hand which had a bandage wrapped around.  
“I still want to know what the fuck this is,” he growled as he approached Dan, pointing at his hand. Dan widened his eyes but he already made a plan to fix it. He was going to heal the burn and then make him forget it ever happened. Everyone would eventually forget. Especially when the ‘victim’ isn’t burned anymore and has no idea what everyone is talking about.  
Dan anxiously looked around.  
“Come to my room, I’ll tell you everything,” Dan whisper-shouted and beckoned Michael to follow who frowned.  
“Fuck no! I’m not following some disgusting gay in a closed room!” Michael exclaimed and took a few steps backwards.  
“I could literally say the same right now,” Dan grinned watching Michael’s face heat up.  
“What the fuck are you talking about, Howell?” Michael growled angrily and approached threateningly.  
“I’ve seen how you look at David,” Dan giggled playfully. “In a _more than friends_ kind of way.”  
“Stop talking shit,” Michael exclaimed furiously, his face redder than ever.  
“Now, do you want to know what happened to your hand or not?” Dan grinned and turned around, walking to his room. He heard Michael curse himself and he followed Dan to the dorm. Dan closed the door behind Michael who folded his arms.  
“It reeks of cum in here, and what the fuck happened to that window,” Michael growled annoyed as he looked around and pointed at the piece of cardboard over the window.  
“Little accident, don’t ask,” Dan chuckled and gestured at his bed. “Sit down and get the bandage off your hand.”  
“What the fuck…” Michael muttered as he sat down on Dan’s bed, starting to unwrap the bandage from his hand. He grimaced at the pain and bit his lip. He showed Dan his hand. It was red, fleshy and swollen. Dan squinted his eyes and sat down next to Michael, taking his hand and examining it carefully.  
“It’s okay, you know,” Dan muttered as he gently poked the wound. “It’s okay to like other boys.”  
“You disgust me,” Michael growled as his face flushed even redder. “What the fuck are you talking about.”  
“Just letting you know it’s all fine. No matter what book; person or bully is telling you it is,” Dan said and turned Michael’s hand around, looking at the roof of his hand. His knuckles were almost burned to the bone and Dan bit his lip, feeling guilty. “Some girls like boys and some boys like girls. Some boys like boys and some girls like girls. Some folks like everyone and some folks like no one. And that’s all okay. It’s what makes humanity beautiful and unique.”  
“Stop,” Michael choked out and he clenched his teeth together.  
“It’ll all be okay once you discover your true self,” Dan concluded and took a bit of distance of Michael’s hand. He gently laid his own over the burn wound. “Hold still.”  
“Ow! What the fuck are you doing!? That hurts! Don’t push it harder!” Michael exclaimed and tried to pull his hand away, but Dan had a tight grip on his wrist with his other hand.  
“I said hold still,” Dan repeated annoyed and closed his eyes. “You might feel a little itch.”  
“What the- Shit!” Michael exclaimed as he desperately kept himself from scratching his hand as an itch attacked him. The room illuminated with a bright light coming from underneath Dan’s hand. Michael froze as he widened his eyes. The itching feeling slowly faded. “What the actual fuck, though…”  
Dan slowly pulled his hand away from Michael’s, seeing his eyeballs almost fall out of his sockets. His hand was normal again, all the skin had returned. It didn’t even leave a scar. Dan let out a little chuckle as he saw how beautifully he did it.  
“What the-!” Michael started as Dan raised his hand in front of Michael’s face.  
“Quoque oblivisceris,” Dan smirked, thinking about the things Michael should forget about. As usual, Michael’s pupils widened until his entire eye was covered. He then slowly collapsed on Dan’s lap with a groan, his face directly on top of Dan’s crotch.  
“Dan!” Phil exclaimed. Dan’s head jolted up and saw that Phil had returned from the bathroom with slightly damp hair. He was standing in the door opening. “With him!?”  
“No! He’s unconscious!” Dan exclaimed, pulling Michael’s face up by the hair. “See?”  
“That’s even more sick!” Phil said disgusted. “I can’t believe you would- Even after that man- You’re unbelievable!”  
“No! I used a spell! The one with forgetting stuff!” Dan shouted scared and reached his hand out, not wanting to lose Phil. “He’s supposed to faint!”  
A few moments of silence and awkward stares.  
“Shit… I’m… I’m so sorry for thinking about you with him in that way,” Phil said ashamed and looked at the floor, biting his lip. “But you have to admit that it looked kind of weird… you know… his face on your crotch and stuff.”  
“Yeah, I know,” Dan chuckled awkwardly and stood up. “Help me get rid of the body.”  
“You’re talking as if you just committed a murder,” Phil laughed as he took Michael’s arms.  
“Who knows?” Dan grinned, taking Michael’s legs and pulling him off the bed. A loud thump echoed through the room as his bum hit the floor. “Whoops.”  
“Whatever,” Phil giggled as they practically threw him out of the room. Michael groaned and opened his eyes. Dan quickly slammed the door shut and grinned.  
“Took out the trash,” he smiled innocently. “I think I’ll get dressed now.”  
“Please don’t,” Phil grinned and winked, making Dan blush. “Your body is so beautiful.”  
“Shut up, you,” Dan said as he couldn’t stop smiling. He hid his flustered face behind his hands. Phil stood in front of him, only inches away and gently pulled away Dan’s hands.  
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered and slid his finger from Dan’s cheek over his jawline. “I could look at you forever. You have this beautiful soft shapes. Your round shoulders and face. Just beautiful. Perfect.”  
“Well look at yourself,” Dan smiled. “You’ve got such sharp edges. I could cut myself caressing your cheek, look at those cheekbones. And your jawline. Your broad shoulders and long legs. You’re the pretty one. You’re just too insecure to see it.”  
“I love you,” Phil whispered, beaming at Dan who gently cupped his cheek. He glanced down at Dan’s lips and up at his eyes again. “Can I kiss you?”  
“Yes,” Dan smiled and leaned forward, gently pressing his lips against Phil’s.


	20. Chapter 20

The weeks and months passed by like that. Nothing special happened, nothing particularly changed. But that kept bugging Phil. The fact didn’t change that Dan still wouldn’t let him touch him. Phil, of course, truly respects this and doesn’t force him into doing anything he didn’t want to, but it still was kind of on his mind. Yes, he’s been through a traumatic experience, but even after a few months he still got shivers when Phil touched him. Dan sometimes brought it up, saying it wasn’t Phil’s fault. But Phil still somehow felt not good enough, making Dan often feel very guilty about it, but he couldn’t help it.  
A few hours after dinner Phil was laying on his bed on his stomach, doing his science homework. It was already very chilly and dark outside and the window still wasn’t repaired. A gentle breeze often flew through the room. Phil gently bit his pen as he pondered about the next question until he felt the bed shift a bit. Phil turned his face, seeing Dan sit down on the bed. He had a guilty look on his face.  
“Phil?” he asked with a shy smile. “Today is our 5 months anniversary.”  
“It went fast, didn’t it. It’s already December,” Phil sighed and sat up, tracing his fingers over Dan’s soft jaw line. “You’re still beautiful.”  
“And you’re still perfect, the time flew by,” Dan said with a bright smile. His eyes fell down to the ground and he shamefully bit his lip. “We also haven’t done anything remotely sexual almost all of those months.”  
“Baby, I already told you that that’s okay,” Phil said frowning, rubbing Dan’s arm. “I’m ready when you are.”  
“If you want to, you can just fuck me,” Dan choked out, looking at Phil with desperate eyes. “I mean it... I don’t mind. You can use me for that! I want you to feel pleased! You can just-”  
“What are you talking about!” Phil exclaimed and looked at Dan with wide eyes and disbelief. Did he _really_ just say that? Phil wanted to say something more but was interrupted when Dan practically launched himself at Phil, crashing their lips together. Dan tangled his fingers in Phil’s shirt, forcing him to keep their lips connected. His other hand behind Phil’s head, pushing him against his lips.  
“Dan!” Phil exclaimed with a muffled voice. “Dan stop!”  
Dan quickly climbed on top Phil and pushing him down, straddling his hips and grinding on top of his crotch. Phil pressed his palms against Dan’s chest, trying to push Dan off of him but he quickly snatched Phil’s wrists on pinned them on the bed. Phil wriggled underneath Dan, trying to free himself from his grip. He kicked his feet up as he felt himself hardening. Dan pushed his tongue into Phil’s mouth, desperately trying to please him. He rolled his hips against Phil’s crotch, feeling a bulge forming.  
“Dan, please! Stop!” Phil exclaimed with great difficulty. He felt Dan freeze for a second before he slowly loosened the grip on Phil’s wrists and disconnected their lips. Phil could feel how Dan realised what he was doing.  
“D-don’t you want this?” Dan stammered quietly, slowly sitting up and looking down in complete desperation. “Don’t-don’t you want to fuck me?”  
“Jesus Christ, Dan!” Phil exclaimed as he lifted Dan off his hips, placing him next to him. “I don’t want to have sex with you if you don’t want to! Don’t just force yourself on me because you’re feeling guilty!”  
“I-I just don’t- I don’t want you to… to leave me… because I don’t want to- to…” Dan stuttered with a flustered face and tears in his eyes. “I- I just want you to be happy…”  
“I told you a million times that I’m happy whenever I’m with you, you dumbass! I’m not going to leave you because you don’t want to have sex with me!” Phil exclaimed angrily, immediately soothing his voice a bit as he saw Dan cringe. “I fucking love you! I don’t need to have sex with you to feel satisfied! You’re so stupid!”  
“I didn’t mean to…” Dan started but his voice slowly faded away and looked down in shame. “I’m sorry.”  
“Oh, Dan…” Phil smiled and shook his head. He gently cupped Dan’s cheek and showed him a soft smile. “I’m going to continue doing my homework, and you’re going to continue doing whatever you were doing. Let’s pretend this didn’t happen okay?”  
“Okay,” Dan said and smiled shyly, getting up from Phil’s bed and walking to his own. Phil turned to lay on his stomach again, feeling his erection pulsing between his legs. He bit his lip as he tried to concentrate on his homework. He just hadn’t gotten off in so long, and that little bit friction already stimulated him to become painfully hard. He gently moved himself against the mattress underneath him and suppressed a moan as he felt his cock twitch. Phil quickly grabbed his duvet and pulled it over his back, pretending to be cold as Dan looked up at him. He clenched his teeth together as he moved his hand underneath the duvet, palming his hard on. He grabbed his pen with his other hand, he couldn’t even write with that hand, and scribbled some lines to look as if he was actually making his homework. He slowly stroked himself through his jeans and pursed his lips together to keep himself from moaning. A soft grunt escaped his throat.  
“Is everything okay?” Dan asked concerned. Phil’s head jolted up and smiled as his face heated up. He quickly cleared his throat.  
“Hmm? What? Oh, the maths,” Phil chuckled awkwardly and gestured towards his book. “It’s kind of hard- I mean difficult…”  
“I thought you were doing science?” Dan asked with a frown. Phil widened his eyes and glanced at his book.  
“Uh, yeah… I meant to say science,” Phil grinned and gulped as he felt his face heat up.  
Okay…” Dan said slow with a faint smirk and concentrated on a book he was reading. Phil let a breath escape he didn’t know he was holding and slowly relaxed. He swiftly unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, slipping his hand in his boxers. He tightly pursed his lips together as he wrapped his fingers around his length, his thumb on the head, and slowly moved his hand up and down. His thumb rubbed over his slit with every pump he gave his length. He took the tip of his pen between his teeth and bit on it, keeping himself from making any noises. His eyes shot to Dan, seeing him still focused on the book, and back to his homework. His eyes fluttered shut as he tightened the grip on the pen between his teeth. He sped up the movements and harshly rubbed his thumb over his slit, hearing the pen crack in his mouth. A few pieces of the plastic landed in his mouth, other shattered pieces fell on his book. He quickly pulled the pen out of his mouth, sticking his tongue out and quickly spitting out the pieces of plastic. Lost in pleasure he kept jerking off, slowly starting to pant as he felt his orgasm build up. His hand started pumping him even faster and his mouth hang open, he was close now. Phil felt his groin pull, and tensed. He swore quietly as he came in his hand, his cum covering the bedding. Phil kept pumping himself through his orgasm, trying to control the erratic breaths he was taking. Phil sighed deep and felt himself relax.  
“You done?” Dan suddenly asked, not even batting an eye. Phil’s head shot up at Dan with wide eyes. Dan chuckled as he saw Phil’s blushing face.  
“What?” he asked and cleared his throat, sniffling his nose. He smiled innocently and quickly wiped his hand on his bed.  
“Oh, don’t put that innocent mask on, Lester! I knew you were jerking off underneath your duvet, you dirty boy!” Dan laughed as he saw Phil’s face heat up. He laughed even louder when he saw Phil bury his face in his pillow. “Yeah, I noticed!”  
“Stop! You’re embarrassing me!” Phil whined and smiled into the pillow, knowing that if there was a deeper shade of red, he’d probably turn into it.  
“I will probably bring it up a lot, so don’t even _think_ about me stopping to talk about that, Phil,” Dan grinned and Phil looked up from his pillow with a pout.  
“You’re an ass,” Phil decided and shook his head, looking at his homework. Dan stood up and grabbed his jacket. “Where are you going?”  
“Well it’s been dark for a while now, so I’m going out to do some flying,” Dan smiled, walking towards the door. Phil quickly sat up and reached his hand out to him.  
“But it’s super cold right now! You can’t go out flying around without your shirt!” Phil exclaimed with a frown. “Do you want to get ill?”  
“But I haven’t flown in so long!” Dan whined, throwing his head back. “And the trampoline hall is so small!”  
“I’m not going to let you fly when it’s super cold outside! Period!” Phil said strict.  
“You sound like my mum,” Dan sighed annoyed and threw his jacket on his bed. He plopped down on his back.  
“It’s almost Christmas,” Phil suddenly said. They both avoided talking about Christmas almost all the time, not wanting another fight about Dan’s family. But somehow Phil got in his head that it was time to say something about it.  
“Yeah,” Dan said, nodding slowly. He had called his mum already several times about the… _issue_ , but she still wouldn’t change her thoughts. It’s tradition after all.  
“You still don’t want me to come?” Phil asked and tilted his head. Dan smiled apologetically.  
“I just think that’s safer, for the both of us, I mean,” Dan explained. “But you seem to really want to go, so it’s your own fault if you die.”  
“Die?” Phil exclaimed and widened his eyes.  
“I’m just messing with you!” Dan laughed and shook his head. “God, you should’ve seen your face!”  
“Again, you’re an ass,” Phil repeated himself with a frown. “But I’m actually looking forward to Christmas. Your mother sounds really sweet through the phone.”  
“Yeah, she does sound really sweet through the phone,” Dan sighed. “But again, I warned you.”  
“And I’m still going,” Phil said stubborn. “How bad can it be? Meeting the Howells sounds fun! Your mum, little brother, grandparents etcetera!”  
“ _So_ much fun!” Dan said sarcastically with a fake smile. “Already looking forward to it!”  
“In a few weeks already,” Phil sighed. “The blink of an eye.”  
“You get really philosophical during the night,” Dan remarked, sitting up.  
“Yeah, I know,” Phil smiled and closed his books. He put them on the nightstand and took his shirt off. “I think I’m going to sleep. Don’t you dare if think about going out to fly! It’s way too cold for that, baby!”  
“Yes, mum,” Dan sighed with a smile, shaking his head. “Good night, I love you.”  
“I love you too.”


	21. Chapter 21

Dan was woken by a familiar husky voice next to his ear.  
“Merry Christmas, Dan, it’s time to go,” Phil whispered, gently nudging Dan’s shoulder. He glanced at their suitcases. They had packed it the day before they were supposed to leave. And today was that day. Christmas day. Meeting the Howells day. Phil lied if he said he wasn’t nervous. He was going to meet the family of his boyfriend, even though they weren’t allowed to know that they were in a relationship. The entire family were Optimi, which made it even more exciting. But again, they weren’t allowed to know that Phil knew about the Optimi. That’s what made it all a bit tricky, they were supposed to lie about so much. They were supposed to act super platonic, which was a challenge. Dan was on a slow way to recovery. He and Phil still hadn’t had sex, but Phil had shyly started to touch Dan again. Meaning Phil had given Dan a handjob and blowjob or two the past month, but he was still not entirely ready to do the do. And Phil, of course, didn’t particularly care, he just loved to be around Dan in general.  
“Five more minutes,” Dan groaned and pulled the duvet up a bit higher, covering his bare chest.  
“Are you sleeping shirtless? That’s way too cold!” Phil exclaimed and grabbed Dan’s sweater he had ready for this day. He wrapped his arms around the sweater, warming it up.  
“It’s fine,” Dan murmured. “What time is it?”  
“8, we have to catch the tube,” Phil sighed annoyed and nudged Dan’s shoulder again. “Come on.”  
“Ugh,” Dan whined annoyed, still not getting up. Phil leaned forward, his face next to his ear.  
“Come on, baby,” Phil whispered seductively, gently kissing his ear shell. Phil slid his hand underneath Dan’s duvet, caressing his side and hip. He quietly moaned into Dan’s ear, biting the shell and swirling his tongue against it. Dan’s breath hitched and he tensed. “We have to go…”  
“Y-you’re right,” Dan choked out and quickly sat up. Phil handed him his sweater with a smile.  
“I warmed it up for you,” he grinned. Dan gladly took it from him, pulling it over his head and covering bare chest. “Are you nervous for the tube ride? It’s a pretty long trip.”  
“Whatever,” Dan shrugged as he got up from his bed, walking to his closet. He pulled some jeans out and bit his lip. “Nothing will happen anyway.”  
“Let’s hope for it, okay,” Phil smiled and stood up too, stretching his back. “I’m nervous to see your family.”  
“My mum will love you,” Dan reassured him. “Did that make you feel better?”  
“Kind of,” Phil shrugged.  
“Lying always works,” Dan decided as he pulled his jeans over his knees.  
“I can totally push you over right now, and you are in no state of defending yourself. Watch your mouth, boy,” Phil said and made a push motion, gently hitting his bum. Dan quickly pulled his jeans over his ass.  
“I have a piano at home, maybe you can play,” Dan smiled, thinking of all the piano lessons. They had fun and sometimes absolutely horrendous times playing the piano. Like the time Dan accidentally puked on the piano after he had too much to drink. Or the time where Phil had a horrible cold and sneezed so hard his snot flew all over the piano keys. Good times.   
“You’re the one that should play, mister Howell,” Phil said jokingly as he put on his coat. “Do you like my new coat? It’s a space coat! I don’t know if I like it, I’m still deciding. But it’s really warm, and my mum always said ‘If it keeps you warm, then it’s a keeper’.”  
“You look like a cute baked potato,” Dan decided as he examined Phil with a smile.  
“Obviously the look I was going for, thanks,” Phil chuckled as he zipped it up. He sat down on his bed, putting on his shoes as Dan did the same. When they were both fully packed up and clothed for the insanely cold weather, they opened the dorm room and dragged their luggage out. Phil sighed and smiled at Dan with a nervous face.  
“Let’s go, then.”

“Remember, Phil. Platonic,” Dan said strict as they stood in front of his house. It was way bigger than Phil’s expectations of it. It had white walls, door and frames. The bricks were grey but it somehow gave a mysterious contrast to the whole thing.   
“Super platonic,” Phil said and nodded. “Bro.”  
“Friend.”  
“Pal.”  
“Buddy.”  
“Mate.”  
“…Crony.”  
“Fellow.”  
“Uh… companion?”  
“…,” Phil thought with a frown. “Okay, you win.”  
“Of course I do,” Dan smiled and winked.  
“That wasn’t very platonic of you, that wink,” Phil pouted. “You’re making it very hard for me. I just want to touch you and kiss you and I don’t know.”  
“I will try to be as disgusting and non-sexual as possible,” Dan stated. “I will start by farting, burping and making a horrible pun-”  
“Please don’t,” Phil interrupted and knocked on the front door. “Oh god, I’m going to meet your mum…”  
“Relax, _bro_ ,” Dan grinned. The door opened and a woman around 40 years stood in front of them. A big smile stretched across her face and her brown eyes glistened. The same brown eyes Dan has, Phil noticed. She had long straight brown hair that fell over her shoulders. She was pretty for a woman her age.  
“Oh my, Daniel! You’re here!” she exclaimed happily and embraced Dan tightly, making Dan squeal.  
“Don’t kill me,” Dan gasped but the warm smile on his face couldn’t hide that he was somewhat happy to see his mother again.  
“You’ve grown so much, my beautiful baby boy,” she cooed and pinched Dan’s cheeks whilst Dan stared blankly at her.  
“I’ve been here for less than a minute and I’m already so done,” he said and swat her hand away from his face. The woman looked slightly offended and then she noticed Phil awkwardly standing behind him. She smiled brightly.  
“And you must be Philip!” she exclaimed excited and a small huff escaped Phil’s lips as she pulled him into a hug. “It’s so nice to meet Daniel’s best friend!”  
“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs Howell,” Phil said politely as he shyly hugged her back. They pulled away.  
“Please, call me Janet,” Dan’s mum said with a warm smile. “Come in, come in, please. It’s way too cold outside right now!”  
“Thank you, _Janet_ ,” Phil said with a smile as they walked in, Janet closing the door behind them. Dan smiled warmly as he looked around, he missed his house. He took a deep breath and smelled the air. Phil sniffed the air too, smelling something unfamiliar.  
“I already started making dinner,” Janet said with a grin. “It’ll be done in half an hour.”  
“I thought I smelled _something_ ,” Dan said with a dangerous glare. Phil raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Janet and then at Dan, back at Janet again.  
“Dan,” Janet said warningly as her smile had completely faded and she had a cold gaze in her eyes, settled on her son who was glaring at her. “Why don’t you go show your room to your lovely and friendly huma-” she coughed and cleared her throat, glancing at Phil. “ _friend_?”  
“Sure, mum,” Dan said and squinted his eyes disapprovingly. “Great idea.”  
“Wait, Dan,” Janet said and grabbed Dan’s arm as he started guiding Phil to the staircase, pulling him back. “Be nice to your little brother. His friend ditched him for Christmas so he’s upstairs drowning in self-pity. Maybe talk to him a little, introduce your friend. Be nice.”  
“Sure, mum,” Dan said and nodded. He gently took Phil’s lower arm and pulled him towards the stairs. “This way dude.”  
“Okay, mate,” Phil responded with a grin. This whole platonic thing was hilarious. They slowly climbed the stairs, being met by a young boy who had curly brown hair like Dan, except Dan straightened it. The boy looked up at them and he had Dan’s eyes too. He was a cutie, just like Dan.  
“Hey, Ade,” Dan greeted as he continued trotting up the stairs, ignoring his brother furtherly.  
“Ade? Is that your name? Hi, I’m Phil,” Phil stopped and smiled at Dan’s little brother who smiled back at him, shaking his hand.  
“My name’s Adrian, people call me Ade sometime,” Adrian shrugged with a smile. Dan stopped climbing the stairs and turned around, mildly annoyed that his younger brother was stealing alone time with his boyfriend.  
“Nice to meet you, Adrian,” Phil said smiling and noticed how soft Adrian’s hand felt in his. Adrian carefully examined Phil from head to toe.  
“So… what’s your strongest power right now?” Adrian asked curiously with an innocent smile. Dan started wildly gesturing behind Phil towards Adrian, making a cut off motion. Adrian frowned at his weird older brother.  
“My strongest what?” Phil asked frowning. Adrian’s eyes widened as he realised what Dan was trying to tell him. He glanced at him with a scared look. Phil was human.  
“He means what your best subject is at school,” Dan quickly said with a nervous grin. “We call the subjects powers because it’s weirdly motivating.”  
Phil had to pretend he had no idea about the Optimi, otherwise they’d get caught immediately. And executed, probably.  
“Oh, okay… English I think,” Phil said with one eyebrow raised. Adrian wanted to say something in return but got rudely interrupted by his older brother who pulled Phil away.  
“Anyways… great seeing you Ade,” Dan said with an apologetic smile, pulling Phil up the stairs. Adrian showed a sad smile and nodded, starting to saunter further down the stairs.  
“Dan, wait,” Phil hissed and turned back to Adrian. “Want to join us?”  
“What, really?” Adrian exclaimed, his eyes twinkling from excitement. “Will you let me hang out with you guys?”  
“Phil, I swear to god-” Dan mumbled annoyed, receiving an elbow in his ribs from Phil.  
“Of course you can!” Phil exclaimed with a smile.  
“Unbelievable,” Dan murmured irritated. His annoying little brother was stealing alone time from him and his boyfriend! Dan glared at Phil as he hissed through his teeth, “Come this way.”  
The two boys behind Dan followed him up the stairs, Adrian happily skipped every step as Phil smiled at his enthusiasm. It made him remember when the friends of his older brother would ask Phil to hang out with them. Dan guided them through the hallway towards a white door with a gigantic picture of Brendon Urie from Panic! at the disco on it. A screenshot from the ‘I write sins not tragedies’ video. Underneath it, it said ‘CLOSE THE GODDAMN DOOR’. Phil chuckled and pointed at it.  
“Panic, nice,” he remarked with a grin, receiving a wink from Dan. Phil hoped Adrian didn’t see the faint shade of red on his cheeks as they entered the room. It had a light wooden floor and the visible parts of the wallpaper were grey. As almost the entire wall was covered in posters from bands like Muse, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, Green Day etc. Phil eyes widened as he looked around in awe, muttering a soft ‘wow’. Dan smiled at Phil as he plopped down on his bed. The king bed had a grey/white/black pattern on it with matching pillows. Adrian sat down next to Dan, their eyes both stared at Phil expectantly, waiting for him to sit down too. But Phil was not done with admiring the room. There was a big wooden closet and a small night stand. On top of the nightstand there was an old TV, wondering if it worked, Phil looked further. In the corner of the room, there was a keyboard, chair and a rug. A big desk was shoved against the wall hid the CV behind it. Phil brought his gaze back to the black keyboard, wondering if Dan might want to play him to sleep tonight. That would be so cute of him!  
“Your room is so awesome!” Phil gasped smiling and pointed at the keyboard. “Play for me?”  
Adrian started laughing as Dan let out an annoyed sigh and let himself fall backwards on the bed.  
“What?” Phil asked frowning, looking at Adrian.  
“Don’t even think about him playing the piano, mate! Not happening!” Adrian grinned. “He won’t even play for his own family! We have a piano downstairs and mum often asks Dan to play something, he always declines. I don’t know why, but don’t count on him playing for you. Maybe he’s keeping playing for someone like a virginity, he will play for his _significant other_.”  
“Actually shut up, Adrian,” Dan growled, giving his little brother a push. “ _Speaking_ about significant others, have you met anyone at school, Ade?”  
“Stop,” Adrian whined, dragging out the ‘o’ as he blush crept over his face. Dan grinned as Phil sat on the other side of Adrian, making him look really small in between the tall boys.  
Phil gave Adrian an amused look as he grabbed a pillow and buried his face in it. “You’re embarrassing me!”  
“Oh, so you _have_!” Dan chuckled and poked Adrian’s sides. “Tell us, little brother. Tell us!”  
“No, I haven’t!” Adrian denied with a muffled voice as most of his speech got absorbed into the fabric of the pillow he was clutching.  
“Yeah, you have,” Phil grinned at Dan. “Otherwise you wouldn’t react so hysterical.”  
“I’m not hysterical,” Adrian said, slowly lowering the pillow in shame and exposing his bright red face. “I’m calm.”  
“Yeah, sure,” Dan said sarcastically and nodded. “Tell us about her. It is a her right? Otherwise it’s also fine, obvious-”  
“It’s a her! I’m not gay!” Adrian growled and gave Dan a soft punch in his arm.  
“So there _is_ someone,” Phil remarked with a grin from ear to ear. Adrian froze in his movements as he thought about what had just happened.  
“I hate you two,” he groaned as Phil let out a soft ‘huff’ when Adrian injected the pillow into his face.  
“Tell us!” Dan exclaimed, his head resting in his palms. “Come on, don’t be shy.”  
“Well… she’s really nice and funny…” Adrian said quietly with a small smile as a light shade of pink crept over his face. “And cute… and we’ve been texting a lot… but we’re too scared to talk at school… and stuff…”  
“Oh my god, the flashbacks are real,” Phil chuckled. “I had a ‘girlfriend’-” he saw Dan squint his eyes, a jealous look spread over his face. “-and we only dated for a week. We got it on on MSN and we broke up on MSN. We barely spoke in real life, but we did kiss!”  
“Is that so?” Dan said with a fake smile, his jealousy showing as he was clenching his teeth.  
“What’s MSN?” Adrian asked with a frown, receiving a disappointed look from his older brother. Phil sighed and shook his head.  
“You don’t know? It was like a big chat site,” Phil explained. “She dumped me after she made out with another guy at the cinemas, still not over it. She said I was a bad kisser!”  
“That’s bullshit!” Dan exclaimed, receiving a shocked look from Phil and a confused look from Adrian. “I… I mean, that she kissed someone else… before breaking up with you… is kind of mean and bullshit…?”  
“Yeah, I know right!” Phil exclaimed, not questioning what he just said and hoping that the subject soon got changed before Adrian was going to ask hard questions. “But the guy she kissed is actually now one of my best friends as he got dumped by her too. He’s a pretty cool guy.”  
“Is he?” Dan asked with a fake smile, his jealousy showing in his eyes again.  
“He’s okay,” Phil quickly shrugged. “But let’s not get side tracked, call that girl, Ade.”  
“What!?” Adrian exclaimed with wide eyes and he shook his head. “Are you crazy? I can’t just call her up!”  
“And why not? We’ll give you hints on what to say,” Dan suggested, receiving a glare from Adrian and another firm ‘no’. Dan glanced at Phil with a grin. “I hold him down, you grab his phone from his pocket.”  
“Sure,” Phil agreed and before Adrian could process what plans were made in front of him, his brother grabbed his arms and pulled him on his back on the bed.  
“Dan!” Adrian screamed, kicking around. “Let me go!”  
“This is for your own good, little brother,” Dan concluded as Phil grabbed Adrian’s phone from his pocket, dodging the feet that were launched his way. Phil opened the phone and shook his head with a grin.  
“Not even a password!” he chuckled and started searching through his contacts. “Now, we don’t know her name, but you guys text a lot, you said. So let me see the last texted… Gabriela? That’s a pretty name now, isn’t it, Daniel?”  
“ _Very_ pretty, indeed, Philip,” Dan agreed grinning at him, ignoring Adrian’s screams of protest. “Is that her Ade? Is that the girl you like?”  
“No! It’s someone else!” Adrian quickly exclaimed, fear striking in his eyes.  
“Call her,” Dan told Phil with an evil smile. “Let’s set up a date for you two.”  
“Let me go, Dan!” Adrian screamed, trying to wriggle out of Dan’s grip. “I hate you!”  
“Called,” Phil said as he clicked the button. “Now, Ade, shut up or the girl will hear your manly battle cries. I don’t think you want that now, do you?”  
“Stop! This is abuse!” Adrian shouted high, shaking his chest around but Dan was holding him to firm. Everyone stopped talking and suddenly it was dead silent as the phone got picked up from the other side.  
“Hello? Adrian?” a young female’s voice said. Phil grinned as he brought it to his mouth.  
“Hello, Gabriela,” he grinned, seeing Adrian shake his head. “I’m the best friend of Adrian’s brother, Philip. And I’m calling for something important!”  
“I swear to god!” Adrian screamed, kicking at Phil. “Stop!”  
“Adrian is at the moment not able to talk properly, apologies,” Phil chuckled.  
“Dan’s holding me down! Don’t listen to what he says!” Adrian shouted desperately. “Phil! Stop!”  
“The thing is, Adrian _really_ likes you,” Phil said smiling. “And he is too scared to ask you out on a date himself, so me and Dan figured we’d be helpful guys and help him a bit.”  
“Really? He wants to go on a date with me?” Gabriela asked shyly. Adrian froze in his movements and stared at the phone with wide eyes. “I want Adrian to confirm that, please. I don’t want you guys to just mess with me.”  
“Smart girl,” Phil praised. “Adrian, do you want to go on a date with Gabriela?”  
“….,” Adrian stared at Phil as the phone got brought next to his mouth. He opened his mouth and glared at Phil. He muttered a shy, “Yes…”  
“Heard that? He wants to go out with you!” Dan yelled at the phone. “Do you want to go out with my little bro?”  
“Say yes!” Phil whisper shouted into the phone. It was silence for a few seconds and Dan slowly loosened the grip around Adrian’s arms. It’s not really a nice Christmas present if your brother and his friend force you down, call the girl you like, and get rejected.  
“I would love to!” Gabriela’s voice suddenly echoed through the room. Adrian’s eyeballs almost fell from his sockets as Dan released his little brother. Phil quickly handed him the phone.  
“R-really?” Adrian asked, smiling like an idiot.  
“Yeah!” Gabriela answered, a small chuckle was heard afterwards. Dan and Phil high-fived with a grin plastered onto their faces. Adrian stood up from the bed and gestured at his room, showing that he was going there to talk further. The door closed behind him and it took a few seconds until they started laughing.  
“He owes us,” Dan concluded and let his head fell in Phil’s lap, the back of his head resting on Phil’s thighs.  
“Big time,” Phil smiled, playing with Dan’s hair. “Do you know what your mum is cooking for dinner?”  
“Uh… no…” Dan said shaky with a scared smile on his face, making Phil frown and he ran his hand through Dan’s hair.  
“You okay? You almost outed us in front of your little brother, dumbass,” Phil said and quickly changed the subject, seeing Dan was feeling uncomfortable without knowing why.  
“Oh my god, sorry!” Dan exclaimed smiling. “That was so stupid!”  
“And you should work a bit on the jealousy thing,” Phil remarked, making Dan frown. “When I said I dated and kissed a girl before, you got such a jealous look on your face! I tried not to laugh!”  
“Shut up, I wasn’t jealous,” Dan growled as he looked up at Phil, who was smiling at him.  
“And I believe you,” Phil smiled sarcastically. Dan sat up with a pout.  
“I just can’t help it when you talk about dating someone else,” he said with a sad voice. “I want you for myself.”  
“I _am_ yours!” Phil exclaimed smiling, gently pressing his lips against Dan’s who brought his hand up and gently cupped Phil’s cheek, keeping their lips connected. Dan pressed his upper body against Phil’s, gently tangling his fingers in his shirt. Phil had brought his hands up too, one stroking Dan’s back and the other one running through his hair. Dan moaned quietly in Phil’s mouth, parting his lips slightly. Phil parted his lips too and their tongues gently stroked each other. It wasn’t messy or quick, it was loving and sweet. Dan stroked Phil’s cheek with his thumb, the fingers on his other hand were gripping the shirt a bit tighter. Phil’s hands crept under Dan’s shirt and he could feel little sparkles go through his fingers as he touched Dan’s bare and smooth back. Dan gently pushed Phil down on his back, straddling his hips and keeping their lips against each other. It was dead-silent, except for the soft kissing noises coming from the bed. They were both alarmed and pulled away when they heard stumbling from downstairs.  
“Your grandparents are here so dinner’s ready!” Janet’s voice echoed through the house. “Come downstairs boys!”


	22. Chapter 22

Dan pouted as he climbed off Phil’s lap, not wanting to stop making out with his gorgeous boyfriend. Phil sat up and quickly stole another short kiss from Dan, making him smile.  
“That wasn’t very platonic of you, Phil,” Dan said grinning, receiving a chuckle from Phil.  
“We were making out and that little peck of mine is the thing that wasn’t very platonic of me? You started it!” he responded grinning, standing up from the bed and reaching his hand out to Dan who gladly took it. Phil pulled the other boy from the bed and brought their hands up to his lips, gently pecking his fingers.  
“I love you, you know,” Phil smiled, squeezing Dan’s hand for a moment, stroking his thumb over the roof of his hand.  
“I love you too, you know,” Dan smiled back, gently squeezing Phil’s hand back. “Let’s go downstairs, and be super platonic for a few hours. If you do it well, I’ll reward you afterwards.” Dan did a cheeky wink.  
“Hmm, sounds great,” Phil smirked, turning to Dan. He cupped his cheek and briefly pressed his lips against Dan’s again. They released each other’s hand and exited the room. They met Adrian again whilst walking down the stairs, he had a gigantic smile plastered onto his face.  
“Hey, little brother,” Dan said and bumped his shoulder with his fist. “How’s Gabriela?”  
“We’re going to the cinema together next week,” Adrian said, his face showing a light shade of pink as they trotted down the stairs.   
“Super cute!” Phil exclaimed grinning, booping Adrian’s nose. “You’re welcome, Ade.”  
“Yeah, you better thank us,” Dan said as they got downstairs, receiving a smile from Adrian. “Thanks to our gentle persuasion, you now have a date with a cute girl!”  
“I never thought I’d say this, but thanks guys,” Adrian beamed. They entered the living room and Phil looked around. There was a wooden piano in the corner, next to the TV. A big black sofa crease stood in front of the TV with a few metres distance against the wall. On the other side of the room there was a big dining table, that was already covered with food and plates, with chairs around it. Two elderly people where already sitting on two of the chairs and they were smiling at the three boys that entered the room.  
“Grandma! Grandpa!” Adrian exclaimed excited and ran towards the man and woman, hugging them.  
“Hello, Adrian. It’s great to see you again, little one,” the woman said with a warm smile towards her husband next to her.  
“How’s going, Ade?” the man said smiling. Adrian started talking animatedly with a lot of hand gestures as Dan and Phil slowly approached the table and sat down. A weird scent filled Phil’s nostrils and he frowned. He had never smelled anything like it before. Phil frowned as he deeply inhaled the unfamiliar smell, tilting his head. He wondered what it was. Adrian sat down too as he kept talking to his grandparents.  
“…and that’s Phil! Dan’s friend from school!” Adrian said enthusiastic, gesturing towards Phil who waved awkwardly. “He’s a pretty cool guy, very nice and funny.”  
“Thanks, Ade,” Phil chuckled and turned to Dan’s grandparents. “Hello, my name’s Philip. Nice to meet you, ma’am, sir.”  
“Right back at’ya, mate,” the man said with a smile, he nudged his wife’s arm and leaned to her ear, whispering a quiet “He’s the human, right?”. He received a gentle bump on his arm from her.  
“Does Daniel behave himself at school, Philip?” the woman quickly asked, grinning towards Dan who sighed annoyed.  
“Grandma, of course I behave,” Dan muttered. “I’ve got straight A’s, as always.”  
“I didn’t expect otherwise, boy,” she smiled at him. “And you Phillip? How is your school status?”  
“Kind of the same as Daniel, ma’am,” Phil smiled.   
“Adrian, I heard you were bringing a friend too?” his grandma asked interested, looking around.  
“He ditched me for some girl,” Adrian said with a sad face and looked at the ground.  
“Oh, too bad! Their loss!” his grandpa responded with a pitiful face. Dan’s mum walked in with a gigantic plate with meat on it, smiling brightly.  
“Dinner time!” she exclaimed excited as she laid it on the middle of the table and kept standing. She glanced around the room. “First, we pray to the almighty Gods of the Olympus.”  
Everyone suddenly stood up and Phil quickly did the same, almost tripping over his own legs, looking around with a shocked face.  
“What am I supposed to do?” he whispered to Dan next to him and was grinning. Everyone raised their hands up to the sky and Phil quickly did the same.  
“Choose a God you want to thank and thank them,” Dan instructed quietly. “I’m going for Aphrodite, to thank her for bringing you.”  
“That’s not very platonic of you,” Phil said, not being able to fight the growing smile on his face. It was dead silent for a few seconds, Phil thanked Aphrodite too in his head, and everyone simultaneously drooped their hands down again, Phil following a fraction of a second later. Everyone sat down and the room filled with chatter as Phil looked around in awe. A Greek prayer was a weird thing to witness. He never knew a lot about it, but it was some experience.   
The dinner started and everyone got the same amount of meat served on their plate together with some salad. Phil grabbed his utensils and cut a piece off, impaling it with his fork and bringing it to his mouth. Right before he was about to eat it, he noticed that everyone was staring at him. He quickly put the food down and looked around. Wasn’t he supposed to eat yet?  
“Sorry,” he quickly apologised, receiving a smile from Dan’s mum.  
“No, you can eat!” she quickly said. Phil noticed that Adrian was still staring at him with wide eyes, they seemed to be filled with absolute terror. Phil felt slightly uncomfortable as he felt all the eyes pierce into him. “We just don’t have guests like you that often, we’re a bit excited.”  
“L-like me?” Phil asked with one eyebrow raised. Did they mean ‘humane’.  
“Oh my god, mum. I swear to the gods…” Dan mumbled embarrassed and buried his face in his hands. He turned to his grandparents that we’re glancing back and forwards from Janet to Phil. Adrian still staring at Phil with wide eyes, as if he couldn’t belief what was about to happen. “You’re scaring him.”  
“No, it’s fine!” Phil reassured smiling and took his first bite. His teeth clenched around the piece of flesh and he frowned as he slowly chewed on the piece of flesh. The taste was, just like the smell, very unfamiliar. It tasted kind of… kind of like… like fish? But then it didn’t. _Almost_ sweet, but it wasn’t. Did he like it? He couldn’t decide as it tasted so foreign and weird. He swallowed and cleared his throat. “From kind of animal is this made off?”  
“Have you ever had deer?” Dan’s grandma asked after there were a few seconds of silence.  
“Yeah, I think so,” Phil said, it sounded more like a question. He knew he had deer before, he did last Easter. But this wasn’t deer, it couldn’t be. This tasted so different and weird.  
“Because it’s not deer,” Dan’s grandma quickly said as she glanced around with a mildly shocked look on her face. “It’s… it’s uh…”  
“It’s horse,” Janet quickly said smiling, giving her mother a kick underneath the table.  
“That explains it, I never had horse before,” Phil nodded. It makes sense now. It did, didn’t it? Of course it did, Phil decided. He took another bite, slowly getting used to the weird taste. Maybe it was special food made for Optimi and humans never had it before.  
“Do you like it?” Dan’s grandpa suddenly asked. The question drew attention from everyone, they all stared at Phil in anticipation. Phil glanced at Dan and Adrian who both had a scared look on their faces, to Janet who was creepily smiling at him just like the grandparents. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and opened his mouth, deciding what to say.  
“Yeah, I kind of do. It’s tastes very different from what I’m used to,” Phil explains slowly with a small smile after he swallowed the flesh. “But I like it.”  
“Good,” Janet said, still smiling widely, her eye twitching. Phil nodded slowly as he got slightly creeped out by Dan’s mum’s face. “It’s great having you over, Philip.”  
“Thank you for your hospitality, ma’am, I really appreciate it,” Phil nodded with his mouth corners slightly curled up. He saw Janet starting a conversation with her parents, Adrian just focused on his food. As did Dan until Phil nudged his leg with his own. Dan looked up at him with wide eyes.  
“What the fuck is going on here?” Phil whispered, his eyes shooting around the table to see if no one heard him. Dan smiled apologetically.  
“Nothing, we’ll talk upstairs,” Dan muttered and gave him a smile, subconsciously leaning forward to peck Phil’s lips. Phil widened his eyes and shook his head, making Dan immediately pulled away. He wanted to shoot himself in the face, how can he be so reckless in these things? This whole platonic thing was harder than he thought.

“Thank you for dinner, ma’am,” Phil thanked Janet politely as he grabbed his empty plate. Everyone had finished their plates and Phil was polite enough to start helping cleaning up. He stacked up everyone’s plates and walked behind Dan’s mum to the kitchen. He entered the kitchen and he froze in his movements. His eyeballs almost fell from his sockets and he felt his stomach turn.  
“Oh my god…” he mumbled.  
In front of him, the kitchen counter was covered in what seemed like thick, red, sticky blood. Stains were covering the floor, the wall, the fridge… His hands shook and he took a step backwards, almost dropping all the plates until Dan’s mum quickly took them from him. Phil was still frozen in the doorway as he stared at the blood stains covering the counter and floor. Several knifes were also laying on the counter and an apron was thrown on the floor, also covered in the red liquid. Did they kill the horse here or something, if it even was a horse? Phil’s teeth started clattering and he felt his head turn lighter. He knew he wasn’t a big fan of blood, he always did. Especially when he fainted from seeing an operation on TV. He wobbled on his legs and held himself up by the grasping at the doorway.  
Phil suddenly got pulled away, he flinched, gasped and turned around. Dan was looking at him. His wrist was taken by him and Dan pulled him up the stairs, towards his room. Dan carefully closed the door behind him and examined Phil.  
Phil squinted his eyes at him and plopped down on Dan’s bed, his hands on his stomach. So full… Slightly nauseous… what the fuck was that…  
“Your mum is a great cook,” Phil said after what felt like hours of silence, smiling at Dan. He tried to forget what he saw in the kitchen. Maybe it was just his mind playing tricks with him. “I mean, I never had horse before. And it tasted kind of weird, but I liked it.”  
“You… you _liked_ it?” Dan asked, sitting next to Phil with wide eyes.  
“Yeah, it was great!” Phil smiled, receiving a disgusted look from Dan.  
“Please… don’t say that,” Dan pleaded as he covered his ears with his hands. He shook his head and muttered to himself. “This is so sick… so, so sick…”  
Phil stared at Dan with frowning eyes. Why was he behaving like this? What the _hell_ just happened.  
“Okay, I’m so done,” Phil decided and sighed annoyed, folding his arms. “I’m trying to remain my chill here, okay. But I just had dinner whilst your family members where all staring at me, which creeped me the fuck out. Their smiles were wicked, scary. It scared the shit out of me! After a while, the attention was drawn away from me, and I had a lovely dinner, even though the food tasted super foreign. After, I’m going to be a polite and nice guy, and I help cleaning up the table.  
I walk into the kitchen, and what I witness looks like a fucking crime scene! Blood! Blood everywhere! Knifes on the counter! What the fuck!?”  
“Phil, calm down, please…” Dan requested quietly, tugging at his sleeve. “My mum always wants to keep the meat as fresh as possible, so she slaughters it in the kitchen… it’s okay…”  
“No it’s not! It’s _not_ okay!” Phil exclaimed. “What I saw in the kitchen was far from okay!”  
“I can’t help it… I can make you forget if you want…” Dan said quietly.  
“You don’t have to,” Phil sighed and shook his head. “Dinner still tasted great, even though it was kind of weird.”  
“Please don’t say that,” Dan asked again and bit his lip.  
“What? It tasted pretty good to me?” Phil said, making it sound like a question.  
“Don’t… don’t say that… I’m gonna get sick…” Dan trembled and wrapped his arms around his stomach.  
“Why can’t I compliment your mum on her cooking?” Phil snapped. What was his problem? “I thought it was great and rare to prepare horse for dinne-”  
“It wasn’t horse, Phil!” Dan exclaimed with wide eyes. “It was human! At Christmas, we celebrate our victory over the humans, so we eat human flesh!”


	23. Chapter 23

Phil’s world stopped and he froze. All he saw was Dan sitting in front of him, his hand was covering his mouth, showing his regret of telling Phil what he had just eaten. Phil didn’t process exactly what had happened but he felt his stomach turn, nausea building up.  
Human flesh.  
He just ate human flesh.  
There was human flesh in his stomach right now.  
Phil jumped up from the bed and ran out of the room, gagging as he shot through the hallway and opened the first door he could find. He thanked the gods that it was the bathroom and he threw the door shut, locking it behind him. He ran towards the toilet and fell on his knees, vomiting aggressively.   
He had to get rid of it.  
Get rid of it all.  
Get rid of all the human flesh in his stomach.  
A bead of sweat dribbled down his temple as he emptied his stomach into the toilet, feeling tears prickling in his eyes. He hated throwing up. He always had. The sour taste in your mouth. The pain in your throat. The disgusting feeling in your nose.  
Phil grabbed some toilet paper and wiped his mouth off. He gagged again and spit into the toilet, wrapping his arms around his stomach. Someone knocked on the door.  
“Phil, are you okay?” Dan asked quietly, there was concern in his voice. Phil spit into the toilet again and wiped his mouth again. “Phil? Baby, I’m coming in okay?”  
“No…” Phil exclaimed, immediately gagging again. He didn’t want Dan to see him in his current state, he could probably unlock the door from the outside anyway. He was covered in a layer of sweat and probably even paler than he normally was, he didn’t want Dan to find him like this. What the fuck… that’s why it tasted so weird… it was human… Phil gagged again at the thought. And he had liked it! Phil threw up again, throwing everything he had left out too. His throat felt sore and it hurt like hell, he wiped some sweat from his forehead and pushed his fringe out of his eye. He suddenly felt very light-headed, not realising or feeling how his breathing sped up. His hands started shaking as he wiped his mouth off again, he squealed quietly as he sank down further onto the floor. He reached out and flushed the toilet.  
“Phil, I’m concerned,” Dan said and knocked on the door again. “Can I come in, now?”  
Phil gasped for breath as he tried to hold on to the toilet as he felt his head spin.  
“No… don’t come in!” Phil squealed and tried to focus on his breathing. He tried to stand up, his legs wobbled and he quickly grasped at a sink that was hanging on the wall. He failed to grab it on time and fell over onto the cold tiles. His head landed with a loud thumb on the floor and his vision blurred.  
“Phil? Phil, what was that? Are you okay?” Dan asked scared and started hitting the door with his fists. He considered unlocking the door but remembered that they had banished several spells and powers in the house to avoid fights. It’s not a funny joke to just unlock someone’s door while they’re showering. Dan pushed the door handle down. “Why did you lock the door, Phil!?”  
Dan turned his side to the door and decided to throw his entire weight against it. Phil’s head jolted up as he heard the loud thump against the door, his head spinning. He dragged himself towards the door and reached his hand up, towards the lock. Dan squealed at the pain in his side, but the door was almost open. Phil’s hand turned the lock at the same time as Dan banged against the door again, causing it to burst open, hitting Phil hard in the head.  
Dan jumped inside and gasped as he saw Phil laying on the ground. He covered his mouth with his hand.  
“Shit,” he whisper-shouted as he crouched down next to the passed out body of his boyfriend. He nudged his shoulder and cupped his cheeks. A few drops of blood dribbled out of his mouth. “Phil, wake up…”  
“What the hell happened here?” Adrian’s voice erupted from behind Dan, making him flinch. Dan looked around at Adrian who was frowning at the two. “I heard a lot of noise. What’s wrong with Phil.”  
“He threw up and passed out,” Dan said, leaving out the part where he threw a door into his face. Accidents can happen. He pressed his head against Phil’s chest, hearing a pulse and he sighed relieved. At least he didn’t kill him. He then pushed his ear next to Phil’s nose, hearing his breathing and he smiled. “He’s still breathing.” Dan gently flicked Phil’s cheeks with his fingers. “Phil, say something…”  
“He’s unconscious, that won’t help, big brother,” Adrian sighed and shook his head. “Let’s just carry him to your room.”  
“…Okay…” Dan decided after a few seconds of silence. He scooped Phil up bridal-style, wobbling back and forwards on his legs, receiving some weird glances from Adrian.  
“I was thinking that I’ll get the legs, you get the head. But if you guys want to get married, that’s okay,” he joked. “Are you marrying a cannibal?”  
“He didn’t even knew what he ate and he threw up afterwards!” Dan hissed angrily as he walked out of the bathroom, almost hitting Phil’s dangling head against the doorpost. “Don’t you think it’s horrible from mum to do such a thing?”  
“Of course, it’s sick,” Adrian agreed and trotted towards Dan’s room, opening the door for him. Dan dangerously wobbled on his legs and almost threw Phil on his bed as his arms gave in. He managed to gently place Phil down onto the soft mattress.  
“He’s a bit heavy,” Dan panted and tugged Phil in. He and Adrian sat down on the bed too, Dan slowly shook his head. “What the hell is wrong with our mother…”  
“If only we knew,” Adrian frowned. “I mean… humans aren’t my favourite species either, and they taste like fish, but this is just horrible. You can’t do such a thing. You just can’t.”  
“That’s pretty racist by the way,” Dan noticed and furrowed his eyebrows. “Saying you don’t like a specific species. Saying you don’t like humans. Don’t you like Phil?”  
“Phil’s an okay guy, he’s cool,” Adrian shrugged. “But humans are usually so cocky, they think they’re the best.”  
“Friendly reminder that we literally called our species ‘The best kind’,” Dan remarked grinning, receiving a soft chuckle from his little brother.  
“Dan… he’s your best friend, right?” Adrian asked quietly, looking up at his brother with big eyes. Dan blushed and looked down at Phil with a smile.  
“Yeah, I don’t even care that he’s human, we just have so much in common,” Dan responded, smiling at Phil. “He’s special.”  
“Why didn’t you stop him from eating, then?” Adrian asked frowning. Dan raised one eyebrow and turned to his little brother.  
“And how was I supposed to do that?” he asked annoyed. “I just had to say ‘No, Phil! Don’t eat that! It’s human flesh, because fun fact: we are all superhuman creatures and eat humans for Christmas dinner.’ I don’t think he’d believe me in the first place, and otherwise I’d freak him out. He threw it up anyway.”  
“You’re right… perhaps we should tell dad what mum did,” Adrian suggested with a shrug.  
“Mum will never forgive us,” Dan said frowning. “You know how she is. And you know how dad is. He’ll be furious and everyone will know, and then we’ll be the sons of ‘that crazy woman who made a human a cannibal’, and frankly: I don’t want that.”  
“Fair point,” Adrian nodded. “But you can use it against her sometimes. Keep it in mind, it might come in handy later.”  
“You’re one evil tiny man, aren’t you,” Dan grinned and shook his head. He turned to Phil who was still behind him and sighed. “Poor guy.”  
“Yeah… I’m going to play some video games in my room, bye brother,” Adrian said and stood up, brushing his jeans off.  
“Video games, or are you going to text Gabriela?” Dan mocked with a grin, lightly bumping Adrian’s shoulder with his fist. “I’ll stay here, waiting for Phil to wake up and stuff. See ya.”  
Adrian closed the door behind him and Dan sighed deep, looking at Phil. He gently pushed Phil’s fringe out of his eye and let his fingers slide over his jawline. He glanced around and kept his eyes on his keyboard, Dan leaned forward and quickly pecked Phil’s forehead, he smiled and stood up. He walked towards it and sat down on his stool, his fingers on the keys.  
“What shall I play for you, my love?” Dan pondered quietly and thought back of the first time Phil had heard him play. What was the piece called again? Ingénue? His music sheets still hadn’t moved and he studied them for a few seconds. It said ‘Ingénue’, just like it had said before Dan left for school. He sighed and started playing it, closing his eyes. He quietly hummed along with the tunes. He thought back to the most amazing last months he had. He felt a sparkle of guilt shoot through him as he thought about how he treated Phil before those months. He missed a key and created a false note, he hissed annoyed and waved his hands around a few times. He tensely placed his fingers on the keys again and continued playing, watching carefully. He hated the sound of a false note. It just sounds utterly awful, and he disgusted himself every time he let one slip. He slowly relaxed as he thought of the _good_ times he had with Phil and chuckled quietly when he thought of the way Phil poked his tongue out between his teeth when he laughed. Or his adorable eyes, he can make Dan do anything if he looked at him with those eyes. Phil trusted him, even though he didn’t know everything about his species. And vice versa. Phil knew that Dan wasn’t human, and here he is. Still with Dan, in love. Dan smiled to himself and continued playing. He was so happy with Phil. What did he do to deserve him? What did he do to deserve such a beautiful, funny, amazing, cute, nice, sweet and super-hot guy? Dan was lost in his thoughts as he slowly finished he song, his hands slowly pressing the last keys down and keeping them on the same place.  
“Beautiful,” a familiar voice said behind Dan, making him jolt around and smile warm. Phil was laying on his side on the bed, his head resting in his hand while his elbow was digging into the mattress. He looked really beautiful, nothing odd of course.  
“You’re awake!” Dan exclaimed happily and leaped out of the stool, running towards Phil and flung his arms around Phil’s neck. He hugged him tightly and sighed relieved.  
“That was the song you played in the art gallery,” Phil smiled and wrapped his arms around Dan’s waist, pulling him against him. “I love it.”  
“I love _you_ ,” Dan chuckled and pulled away from the hug, leaning forward to kiss Phil who leaned away from him.  
“Dan, I just threw up! That’s just disgusting,” Phil said frowning, making Dan pout.  
“I don’t care…” Dan whined and tried to kiss Phil again, who leaned further away from him.  
“Let’s brush our teeth first, bear,” Phil suggested and sat up.  
“Whatever you want, princess,” Dan sighed and stood up from the bed, giving Phil his hand.  
“Bitch, I’m a queen,” Phil said slightly offended, but grinning immediately after he said the sentence. Phil rummaged through his bags and finally pulled out his toothbrush with a triumphantly smile. They connected their hands as they walked to the bathroom, Dan smiling to himself as he led Phil towards the door, gently pulling him behind him. He opened the door and they walked in, Dan noticed a few drops of blood on the floor and quickly wiped it away with his foot. They stood in front of the mirror in silence, brushing their teeth. Phil reached out and intertwined his fingers with Dan’s, smiling at him. As Phil was right-handed and Dan was left-handed, it happened with no difficulties. Dan chuckled as he saw some of the toothpaste dribble out of Phil’s mouth corner. Phil quickly wiped it away.  
‘’I’m so attractive, aren’t I?” Phil joked as he emptied his mouth in the sink, spitting a few times.  
“Always,” Dan smiled, his toothbrush dangerously dangling in the corner of his mouth. He quickly too spat out all the remains of the toothpaste and wiped his mouth on a towel. Dan turned to Phil and smiled.  
“Can I kiss you now?” Dan asked, taking both of Phil’s hands and taking a step forward.  
“Not if I kiss you first,” Phil grinned and leaned forward, briefly pressing their lips together, immediately separating to smile at him. Dan smiled back and pressed his lips against Phil’s again, a bit longer this time and they laced their fingers together.  
“I missed your kisses,” Dan whispered against Phil’s lips, pressing their bodies together.  
“I was out for a few minutes, you’re so dramatic,” Phil smiled and gently pecked him again.  
“Don’t pretend like you don’t love it, Lester,” Dan chuckled and kissed him again.  
“I could never, Howell,” Phil smiled. “But let’s get back to your room before Adrian walks in, okay.”  
“Hmm, great idea,” Dan smiled and pulled away, turning around and pulling Phil behind him towards his bedroom.


	24. Chapter 24

Lips were crashed together as soon as the door slammed shut behind the two. Dan’s fingers hungrily tangled in Phil’s collar, pulling him closer as he walked towards the bed. He felt Phil smirk against him and he took his bottom lip between his teeth, tugging it lightly. Dan let himself fall backwards onto the bed and pulled Phil on top of him, letting him straddle his hips. They swallowed each other’s moans as Dan’s hands clawed at Phil’s back, his fingernails digging in. Phil hissed but loved the pain, feeling his jeans tightening. Dan moaned as Phil rolled his hips, scratching his back and bucking his hips up. Phil chuckled low as he felt the desperation through Dan’s kiss and the nails in his back, his hand ran through Dan’s hair and traced down his jawline.  
“Please…” Dan begged as he felt Phil slide down, starting to kiss Dan’s neck. Phil hummed and took a bit of Dan’s skin between his teeth, tugging lightly.  
“What is it?” he asked teasingly, grinding down onto Dan who moaned in response.  
“Please, just… just touch me… touch me anywhere…” Dan pleaded, letting a loud moan escape as he felt Phil’s hand push down onto his groin. Phil rubbed the ball of his palm over Dan’s bulge, making him moan and buck up. Phil dove down and attacked Dan’s neck with his lips and teeth, covering him in his marks. Dan was squirming and squealing underneath him, wriggling in Phil’s grip.  
“How does it feel, baby?” Phil asked low and husky. That voice. That voice he always did when they were in a situation like this. That voice was the hottest thing Dan had ever heard. Phil only had to use the so called ‘sex-voice’ for a second and he got whatever he wanted from Dan. Dan squeezed his eyes shut and his mouth hung open. He was panting and a bead of sweat dribbled down his forehead. Phil quickly undid Dan’s jeans and wriggled his hand into them, palming him firmly.  
“Come on baby… tell me how it feels,” Phil groaned in Dan’s ear as he gently started to grind down on his thigh and moaned in his ear. Dan squealed and panted.  
“It feels so- so good- ” Dan started, moaning and gasping, getting interrupted by a load thump, followed by an even louder gasp.  
“What the-” someone exclaimed behind them, making them jolt their heads towards the door. In the door opening there was a very shocked Adrian. He was looking at them with wide eyes and his shocked expression quickly turned into a frown. “W-what the fuck is this!?”  
“Adrian!” Dan exclaimed as he face heated up, sitting up and pushing Phil off him, whimpering as he felt Phil’s hand slid out of his boxers. “Haven’t you ever heard of knocking!?”  
“Why would I have to knock!?” Adrian screamed back, slamming the door shut behind him. “You two are only _friends_ after all, right!?” He threateningly approached the two flustered boys on the bed, opening his hand. A fire ignited in his palm. “I can’t let him go.”  
“Wow, Adrian, calm down!” Phil exclaimed scared, raising his hands up in surrender. Dan quickly jumped in front of Phil and caught the flying fireball that was coming towards Phil.  
“What are you doing defending this human!?” Adrian screamed and opened both of his hands, igniting more fire-balls in them. “This is truly disgusting!”  
“No! Adrian, don’t hurt him!” Dan screamed angrily, holding his hands up. “We’re a couple!”  
“…You two are a thing!? You two are a couple!?” Adrian shouted, the fireballs in his hands glowing threateningly. Phil gulped and cringed at the sight of them.  
“Yes!” Dan exclaimed, nodding and knowing Adrian wouldn’t like it.  
“Nuh-uh. No way. You two, break up. Right now,” Adrian decided and the fireballs disappeared. He folded his arms and looked like a strict headmaster.  
“Not a fucking chance,” Dan growled and bawled his fists. Phil was still watching the two brothers in fear, too scared to say anything that might make the situation worse.  
“I will kill him if you don’t,” Adrian decided and unfolded his arms, opening his palm and igniting another fireball in them.  
“I will kill _you_ if you touch him,” Dan growled. Phil tugged at his shirt sleeve.  
“Why can’t you cast a spell on him? A Nebula to make him forget about this?” Phil suggested quietly, throwing some slightly afraid glances at the 14 year-old.  
“He _knows_ about the spells!?” Adrian screamed furiously, glaring at the two. “Dan, what the hell is wrong with you!?”  
“He’s a family member _and_ he’s in this house,” Dan explained to Phil. “Both of those facts keeps me from being able to cast a spell on him.”  
“Have you lost your fucking mind!?” Adrian screamed. “You’re breaking almost all the possible rules now! If you kill another Optimi, you officially broke them all, I think!”  
“If you touch him, I _will_ break them all,” Dan growled, seeing Adrian be stunned for a few seconds. “He’s my other half. I’m sure of it. Aphrodite will be very angry with you if you take him from me.”  
“You dumb son of a bitch,” Adrian growled and pointed at Phil. “That human will betray you as soon as he can! And you told him _everything_! He will do experiments on you!”  
“No, I won’t!” Phil exclaimed, shaking his head. “We’ve been together for five whole months! I would never do anything like that!”  
“You’ve been doing this disgusting thing for _five months_ ,” Adrian exclaimed frowning. “I wonder mum will think of this!”  
“I swear to the Gods, if you say anything to mum, I will kill you,” Dan growled. “I’m saying this from the bottom of my heart. I _will_ kill you.”  
“You… you would kill your own brother because of a human?” Adrian asked quietly, a hurt look in his eyes. “You really would? This- this human will die in 80 years and you will have to live alone forever, but you would kill a family member even though?”  
“Wait, what-?” Phil asked and tilted his head. What did Adrian mean with Dan living alone forever?  
“I would for Phil,” Dan responded, still glaring at him. “You have to understand that I didn’t choose this either.”  
“Love is not a choice, like Brendon Urie said,” Phil added, the scared look in his eyes still not fading entirely. “Please…”  
“…,” Adrian’s glare softened a bit as he looked at the desperate faces of his older brother and Phil. It looked like it was serious. “Okay, I won’t tell mum. But I still don’t like it! I still think this is unnatural and weird! A _human_ , just… no.”  
“Oh my god, thanks, Ade,” Phil sighed in relieve. “For a second I thought my death was here.”  
“Keep it in mind, human,” Adrian spat at him. “I won’t think twice when I find another reason to. If you hurt my brother in any way, I will find you. I will track you down.”  
“I wouldn’t dream of hurting Dan, I love him,” Phil responded with a small smile.  
“Ugh, this is disgusting,” Adrian grimaced and made throw up motion. “I can’t believe that my brother fell for a human.”  
“Do you… like- wanna talk about it a bit?” Dan suggested with a gentle smile. “This isn’t a really smooth way of coming out anyway.”  
“No… this is just… I don’t want to talk about this…” Adrian stammered, backing away a few steps and shaking his head. “This is just… no… this can’t be…”  
“Come one, Ade. Don’t be like that,” Dan said frowning and he patted the place next to him. “I understand it’s kind of hard for you to take in all of a sudden, but that doesn’t mean you can’t talk about it. Just because you don’t know everything about it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t support it.”  
“He’s right, just give me a chance,” Phil pleaded and pouted at him. Adrian furrowed his eyebrows.  
“I already gave you a chance when I decided not to burn you alive,” he growled and folded his arms.  
“Dear God, Ade. Stop being such a rebellion teenager,” Dan sighed annoyed, making Adrian roll his eyes and plop down in between the two guys. “Why exactly _do_ you think this is unnatural? A human and an Optimi? Or is it also because Phil’s a boy?”  
“I… I don’t know,” Adrian shrugged. “It’s just… I think because it’s against the rules and mum always said how she thought it was disgusting.”  
“I think she learned you that it’s weird,” Phil concluded with a pout. “See, Ade, this is kind of like racism. When you grow up in a family who are always thinking that people with a dark skin are less than people with a paler skin, you start to think the same like them.”  
“Exactly,” Dan agreed. “It’s the same with objectifying women. If you listen long enough to people who do it, you will start to think it’s okay. And it’s not. Just like it’s okay for me and Phil to be together.”  
“But it’s against the rules,” Adrian remarked frowning. “What are you going to do about that little fact.”  
“I don’t know, man,” Dan sighed. “We’ll figure something out.”  
“Well it was great talking to you guys,” Adrian said quickly and stood up, brushing some invisible dust off his jeans. “See you.”  
“Wait, we weren’t done yet!” Dan exclaimed but Adrian already walked out, leaving the two boys startled on the bed. Dan let himself fall backwards onto the bed and sighed deep.  
“I think he took it pretty well,” Phil said with a grin, but Dan wasn’t looking happy at all.  
“No, he didn’t. He tried to kill you, Phil. We’re not really good at this whole platonic thing, are we. We fucked up,” Dan decided and glared at Phil. “I told you that you shouldn’t have come. That it was dangerous. That you might get killed.”  
“But I didn’t,” Phil shrugged, plopping down next to him with a sigh. “It’s okay now. Adrian won’t tell anyone.”  
“No, it’s not! It’s not okay!” Dan exclaimed, sitting up and swaying his legs out of the bed. He buried his face in his hands. “What if Adrian came in 10 minutes later? What would he have seen if that happened? He would probably see his own brother getting fucked by a human! He’s only 14 years old! Imagine how fucked up he would become after seeing that!”  
“Wow, Dan,” Phil frowned and sat up next to him. “It’s over now, that didn’t happen. He won’t tell your mum. You can calm down.”  
“No… I can’t…” Dan’s voice trembled and looked up at Phil with scared eyes. “You were almost dead, just then. I… I can’t let that happen… I can’t let you die…”  
“Because you will live alone, for the rest of time,” Phil added with a frown, wrapping his arms around Dan and pulling him against him, pecking his head. Dan looked up at Phil with an eyebrow raised.  
“How did you know? I erased your memory after I told you,” Dan asked and tilted his head.  
“First of all: you did what? And Adrian just said so,” Phil told Dan. “But you told me and erased my memory?”  
“Yeah, I almost killed you, no big deal,” Dan shrugged and laid down in bed, curling in a ball.  
“No big deal?” Phil asked slightly offended. “You want to kill a family member for me but when _you_ almost kill me it’s no big deal?”  
“Ugh, you know what I mean,” Dan sighed and pulled the duvet over his shoulders. “I’m too tired to care right now. Stopping someone’s attacks costs a lot of energy. I can feel all my energy seep out of me right now. It’s so tiring…”  
“… okay then,” Phil sighed and laid down next to him, wrapping his arms around the barely awake form next to him. He pressed a soft kiss against his neck. “Good night, baby.” He whispered. Too late as Dan was already asleep.


	25. Chapter 25

“That was… what should I call it? ‘Eventful’ is a good word, I think,” Phil decided as the two boys entered their dorm room. It was already late in the night as they just got back from the Howell’s and made sure Adrian would shut up. Phil let himself fall backwards on his bed. Dan did the same with his own bed, throwing his bags on the floor and sighed. Images flashed through his head. Phil almost died. Phil can die. Whether it’s from wounds or being old, he can die. He is mortal. Phil is so vulnerable. If one thing happens to him, he can just leave this world. And he will never be able to return. He will be gone. For good. Forever and ever. And Dan would still be here. Alone. For good. Forever and ever. It twisted his stomach. Maybe Adrian was right. Maybe all the Optimi where right. Humans and Optimi didn’t belong together. If they did, then humans would be immortal too. But they’re not, so maybe that’s a sign. And Phil is in terrible danger whenever he is with Dan actually. Especially now Adrian knows about them. If his mother finds out she will send a team of Optimi to come and kill Phil immediately. It’s not safe. Dan bit his lip and turned his head to Phil. He looked so exhausted. So tired of everything. Dan felt guilty. He was bringing Phil in danger. If he died, his entire family would be heartbroken. Phil was so close with his family, he was leaving tomorrow to visit them. Without Dan. He was pretty sure he could survive a few days without Phil but that didn’t make it any less better.  
Phil groaned quietly and turned on his side, facing Dan.  
“A penny for your thoughts?” he asked with a tired voice, a yawn quickly following. He rubbed his eyes and gave Dan a weak smile. Dan looked at the ground and let his teeth dig further into the flesh of his lip. He had to make a decision. He didn’t want Phil to be in danger, ever. Something was holding him back from saying the actual words. We have to break up. He couldn’t say it. Dan cleared his throat and looked at Phil with guilty eyes. He still couldn’t say it. He couldn’t break up with Phil. Not when he was looking so beautiful. Ever.  
“Nothing,” Dan lied and smiled. “Just happy that we’re back.”  
“I’m going to miss you when I’m gone,” Phil said, talking about leaving to his family. But Dan didn’t see the connection and thought he was talking about dying.  
“Please, don’t talk about that,” he said quietly turning around in bed. “I don’t want to think about it.”  
“Dan, I’m already leaving tomorrow and it’s not that bad,” Phil grinned, still thinking Dan understood what he was actually talking about. “It could be worse.”  
“Tomorrow!? No, it couldn’t be worse!” Dan exclaimed, sitting up and looking at Phil with tears in his eyes. He leaped out of bed and wrapped his arms tightly around Phil. “I don’t want to go on without you. I wouldn’t survive it. I love you so much!”  
“Wow, Dan,” Phil said surprised. Dan knew he couldn’t go without Phil. He couldn’t break up with him, even though that meant danger for both of them. And maybe that’s selfish but Dan couldn’t do it. He couldn’t hurt Phil like that. “We can Skype, don’t be so dramatic.”  
“S-Skype?” Dan stammered and looked up with teary eyes, not understanding what Phil meant. Skype? In the underworld? Is that a new thing?  
“I’m only gone for two days anyway,” Phil chuckled and wiped a tear away from Dan’s cheek. “Why are you crying?”  
“W-what?” Dan stuttered and squinted his eyes. He suddenly realised what Phil was actually talking about. “Oh… you leaving to your family. Uhm, yeah. We can like, Skype and stuff.” Dan coughed and pulled away from Phil’s hug, clearing his throat and awkwardly looked at the ground.  
“What were you thinking?” Phil grinned and cupped Dan’s cheek. “You should really stop overthinking everything, Jesus Christ.”  
“Sorry, you’re right,” Dan sighed and sat down next to Phil on his bed, leaning on him. “I’m such a-”  
“Beautiful sweetheart I wouldn’t have otherwise,” Phil interrupted him. “Don’t you dare call yourself anything else then that.”  
“I was about to say ‘dumb fuck’ but what you said works too,” Dan decided and gently pecked Phil, feeling him smile against his lips. Dan pulled away and frowned. “Smiling is weird.”  
“Excuse me?” Phil asked and raised an eyebrow.   
“Well, we express happiness by widening our eating-hole,” Dan explained. “Weird, huh?”  
“What is it like in your head,” Phil sighed and shook his head. “It must be so… what should I call it?”  
“Different?” Dan suggested. “Maybe because I’m not human?”  
“Maybe because you’re just a little bit odd,” Phil decided and pecked his lips again. “And I love you for that.”  
“Hmm, same,” Dan hummed and kissed Phil again, a bit longer this time. “I was thinking… now we have all the privacy and space we need…”  
“I like where this is going,” Phil grinned and gently pressed his lips against Dan’s again, keeping them together. Phil pressed his hands against Dan’s shoulders and pushed him on his back on the bed, Phil positioned in between his legs and traced his tongue across Dan’s bottom lip. Dan got the hint and parted his lips, letting Phil’s tongue enter and he moaned quietly. He wrapped his legs around Phil’s waist and pulled him closer. He smirked when he felt Phil gently grind against him. Dan pulled away from the kiss and smiled at Phil.  
“I think I’m ready again,” he concluded quietly. “You know, to have sex with you again.”  
“You sure? I don’t want you to feel obliged to do it,” Phil said and examined Dan carefully. “What you’ve been through was of course pretty bad.”  
“That was almost 6 months ago, I’m so over that,” Dan smiled and rolled his eyes. Phil nodded and eagerly connected their lips again, immediately pressing his tongue in. Dan let out an embarrassing moan as he felt Phil grind against him, panting into Phil’s mouth.  
“Fuck…” Dan moaned and bucked his hips up, searching for friction. Phil tutted with a grin, bringing on hand to Dan’s hip and firmly pressing him down. “Phil… come on…”  
“It’s so cute having you like this,” Phil grinned. “So desperate…”  
“I’m no- fuck! I’m not desperate!” Dan moaned, sounding half as convincing as he wanted, making Phil chuckle.  
“You’re right,” he grinned sarcastically and dipped down to Dan’s neck to suck a bruise on it, making Dan squeal and squirm underneath him. “Where did I even get the idea from thinking you’re desperate?”  
“Shut up…” Dan groaned and tangled his fingers into Phil’s hair, forcing him to keep sucking his neck. He moaned and bucked up again. “I swear to the Gods, you better get inside of me real quick.”  
“Not desperate at all,” Phil grinned and tugged at Dan’s shirt. They pulled away from each other and quickly discarded their shirts on the floor, immediately crashing their lips back onto each other’s again. Dan tightened the grip on Phil’s waist with his legs, feeling Phil’s hard on press against him. Phil groaned quietly as he rubbed himself against Dan’s ass, hands fumbling with his belt buckle. Dan’s hands quickly found their hands to Phil’s jeans too and he swiftly undid them, eagerly pushing them down and he slid his hand in his underwear. His fingers wrapped around Phil’s length and he took him out of his underwear, immediately pumping him. Phil pulled away from the heated kiss they were sharing and moaned, their foreheads pressed together. Dan stared at Phil with innocent eyes as he continued to jerk him off. Phil clenched his teeth together and groaned, his shaking hands finally were able to undo Dan’s jeans and gently rubbed his hard member through his boxers. Dan unwrapped his legs from Phil’s waist to rip his jeans off, throwing his boxers with them. Phil’s jeans and boxers soon joined Dan’s on the floor and they connected their lips again. Phil’s long fingers wrapped around his and Dan’s length and started pumping both of them at the same time. Dan moaned loudly and bucked up.  
“Phil, I told you to get inside of me!” Dan moaned desperately, his hand opening the bedside drawer to grab a bottle of lube.  
“As you wish,” Phil grinned and took the bottle of lube. “But I think you need a lot of stretching first. It’s been so long after all.”  
“Ugh, why,” Dan groaned annoyed but gasped as he felt a cold wet finger enter him without a warning. Phil kept them as still as possible, especially when he felt how tight Dan was.  
“How long ago was the last time you had something inside of you?” Phil asked frowning, gently curling his finger.  
“A while,” Dan groaned and hummed when he felt Phil curl his finger inside of him.  
“I noticed,” Phil said and slowly twisted his finger. “You’re so tight.”  
“That’s only better for you, right?” Dan asked, clenching his teeth together. “It’ll feel better for you, right?”  
“Yeah, but it’ll hurt for you. I don’t want you to get hurt,” Phil said and shook his head. “Maybe it’s better if we don’t go all the way tonight.”  
“Phil, you sound like my mum,” Dan growled making Phil frown.  
“That’s slightly worrying,” Phil grinned and circled his finger around. Dan moaned quietly and smiled.  
“You can add another one, I think,” Dan groaned and bit his bottom lip. Phil slowly pushed in a second finger and kept them as still as possible. “Shit…”  
“How does it feel? Does it hurt?” Phil asked concerned and examined Dan carefully. He smiled at Phil and moaned quietly.  
“It feels good,” he moaned and bit the inside of his cheek. “Very good… please move…”  
Phil bit his lip in doubt as he slowly pumped his fingers in and outside of Dan who started panting and humming. Phil properly started stretching Dan and pushed his fingers deep inside of him, scissoring them.  
“Still good?” Phil asked and Dan moaned in response together with an eager nod.  
“Yes- fuck! Yes!” he moaned and licked his lips. “Another one!”  
“Sure?” Phil asked doubtful and slowly pushed another finger in. Dan hissed and squeezed his eyes shut. He panted quietly and squealed, making Phil look at him with a concern glint in his eyes. He was about to ask if Dan was okay when he moaned loudly.  
“Please move!” he moaned out. “Pleasepleaseplease… fuck!”  
Phil slowly started thrusting his fingers deep inside of Dan, stretching his walls. Phil dipped down to nibble on Dan’s neck as he kept fingering him. Curling and twisting them around, searching for Dan’s sweet spot.  
“Fuck! Right there!” Dan moaned loudly and pushed himself down onto Phil’s fingers. Phil grinned as he felt Dan squirm and shift in pleasure underneath him. He separated his fingers and Dan moaned in response. “I think I’m ready, Phil… please, I want you…”  
“If you’re sure,” Phil said and planted another kiss on Dan’s neck. He slowly pulled his fingers out and wiped them on the sheets, making a mental note to throw them in the washing room later. Dan whimpered at the sudden emptiness and squirmed with a gasp. Phil coated himself with way too much lube, letting it drip on the sheets.  
“That’s way too much!” Dan chuckled. “We’ll be out by tomorrow! It’ll be super awkward to buy new around here.”  
“I just don’t want to hurt you,” Phil pouted and sighed as he gave himself a few lazy strokes.  
“I know, and that’s really sweet,” Dan smiled and pecked Phil’s lips. “Now stop being sweet and fuck me.”  
“Whatever you want, princess,” Phil grinned and slowly pushed his tip in, immediately stopping when Dan hissed and squeezed his eyes shut.  
“No, don’t stop,” Dan groaned, making Phil frown. He pushed in further until their skin collided and Phil kept as still as possible. Dan panted and looked up at Phil with wide eyes.  
“Are you okay?” Phil asked concerned when he spotted a tear in the corner of Dan’s eye. Dan nodded and squealed quietly.  
“M fine,” he gasped and hissed as Phil accidentally shifted a bit.  
“No, you’re not,” Phil said and gently kissed his cheek. “It hurts too much. Maybe we should stop.”  
“No…” Dan sighed annoyed. “I’m fine, really. Just have to adjust a bit. It’s been a while.”  
“If you say so,” Phil said doubtfully, biting his bottom lip. He kept himself still for a bit longer, waiting for Dan’s signal to move. It took all of Phil’s willpower to keep himself from bucking up into Dan. After about a minute Dan sighed heavily.  
“I think you can move now,” Dan said, doubt in his eyes. Phil bit his lip and slowly pulled out until only his tip was still in. Dan groaned and gasped. Phil pushed in again at an agonizingly slow pace. Dan panted and looked at Phil.  
“Does it feel better? Does it still hurt?” Phil asked as he pushed in again as gentle as possible.  
“It burns… but I like it, don’t stop,” Dan panted and moaned quietly as he felt Phil fill him up.  
“Tell me when it hurts too much,” Phil told Dan before he gently kissed his neck. He wrapped his fingers around Dan’s member and started pumping him to distract him from the burn. Dan moaned and hummed, tugging at his bottom lip as he felt himself adjust.  
“Faster…” he moaned and pushed himself down onto Phil. “Please, Phil, faster!”  
Phil started to pick up his pace and thrusted faster into Dan, beginning to change angles. Dan moaned and squealed, bucking up in Phil’s hand. Phil moaned against Dan’s neck and gently bit on his soft skin.  
“Fuck, you feel so good,” Phil groaned and let out a breathy moan.  
“Harder! Faster!” Dan moaned loudly and pushed himself onto Phil. The burning feeling had disappeared entirely and was replaced by little sparks of pleasure running through Dan’s body. Phil started pounding into his prostate making Dan scream out. He bucked up into Phil’s hand again and let out a high pitched cry. Phil started pumping Dan faster and faster, knowing Dan was close and feeling his own orgasm near.  
“Fuck! Phil, I’m gonna cum!” Dan cried out and let out short high moans with every thrust. Phil smirked and ran his finger through his slit making Dan scream out and explode all over their stomachs and chests. He clenched around Phil who came a few seconds later, filling him up. Phil kept thrusting into him, riding himself through his orgasm. Phil then slowly pulled out of Dan and collapsed next to him, both heavy panting. It was silent for about a minute until Dan opened his mouth.  
“That was…” he searched for words between his pants. “Truly amazing and perfect…”  
“Yeah…” Phil sighed and smiled at him. “I love you.”  
“I love you too,” Dan smiled back and wrapped his arms around him. Phil relaxed into Dan’s grip and leaned his head against his chest. After a few minutes, Phil felt Dan’s soft wings join the hug and a chuckled, nuzzling into the soft coloured feathers.  
“I can’t believe I could live without that for so long,” Dan admitted grinning. “Without sex, I mean.”  
“I thought you were already sleeping,” Phil muttered against Dan’s chest, pressing another kiss against him. He felt the grip of Dan’s wings tighten around him and Dan’s lips against his head.  
“I’m going to sleep now,” he murmured followed by a yawn. “You should too.”  
“Goodnight, Bear,” Phil smiled and relaxed, his eyes fluttering shut.  
“Sleep tight, Lion.”


	26. Chapter 26

“Guys! I didn’t know you two got back already!” PJ yelled with great enthusiasm across the dining room, dragging Chris behind him. He plunged down in the seat across from Dan, a table separating them. Chris sighed and slowly sat down too. He looked really tired, even though it wasn’t that early in the morning. “When did you two get back?”  
“Yesterday night,” Dan answered with a small smile. “You?”  
“Yesterday in the afternoon! Why didn’t you tell us you got back,” PJ said with a pout, folding his arms like a little child. “We missed you guys!”  
“We got back at around 2am, we didn’t want to wake you,” Phil explained grinning. “And we were pretty exhausted ourselves, it had been a bit tiring to say the least.”  
“Same! Oh my god, you have to listen to this!” PJ suddenly exclaimed excited, grinning like an idiot when he saw Chris roll his eyes. “You won’t believe what happened!”  
“Do you _have_ to tell them about _that_?” Chris whined, throwing his head back. “It was so embarrassing…”  
“Now I’m curious,” Dan said smirking. “What happened? Can’t be worse than what happened with us. My little brother walked into a heavy make-out session, he didn’t even know I liked boys. Chris went to your place, right Peej?”  
“Please, don’t tell them,” Chris requested, pressing his palms together and staring at PJ.  
“So we were having dinner with my parents,” PJ started, already almost unable to hold his laughter.  
“Please, don’t tell them,” Chris begged again. He pressed his glabella(:D) against his praying hands and slowly shook his head.  
“And it was going all fine and great,” PJ said, chuckling a bit. “Until I asked the salt. Now look, my mum was sitting next to me. And Chris was sitting next to my dad. And the salt was in front of my Dad and Chris.”  
“Please, don’t tell them,” Chris pleaded with big eyes, pressing his palms and fingers against each other with such force that his hands started to hurt.  
“And I asked ‘Daddy, can you pass me the salt?” PJ said with a gigantic grin plastered onto his face.  
“You’re telling them…” Chris said in surrender and buried his face in his hands in shame.  
“So-so Chris and my dad BOTH reach for the salt, and-and their hands bump into each other, right!” PJ said as Dan and Phil both burst into laughter.   
“No, this did not happen!” Phil exclaimed laughing, holding his stomach. Chris’s face was heating up. PJ couldn’t help but join them after a second and started laughing too.   
“NO, WAIT WAIT WAIT! THIS IS THE BEST PART” PJ screamed as he continued laughing. In the meantime Chris had slowly cringed and curled into a ball in his seat, hiding his red face. Dan and Phil’s laughter slowly faded a bit and with big grins they signalled PJ to continue. “So-so my dad, you know, turns his head to Chris and he-and he looked at him with these eyes… these slightly squinted eyes of confusion! And-and Chris’s face just turned into a tomato! And they-they looked at each other for a few seconds before Chris quickly pulled his hand back! And the tension… man, the tension was real. Fuck, that was so beautiful!”  
“I wish I was there!” Dan exclaimed as he made his classic goose cackle laugh noises, holding his stomach. Phil slapped his leg as he giggled like a fool, shaking his head.  
“Aw man, that’s gold! Pure gold, I tell you!” Phil laughed, wiping a tear out of his eye-corner.  
“Stop laughing!” Chris whined and pouted at the boys who were crying by now. “It’s not _that_ funny…”  
“Dude, did you even process what happened?” Dan chuckled. “The parents of your boyfriend now know that you probs tie him up and do all kinds of kinky shit with him! With their little boy! Don’t you get it! It’s honestly hilarious!”  
“I hate you for making me re-live this moment, you jerk,” Chris murmured and gave PJ a push with his fist.  
“I just had to, sorry sweetie,” PJ said shrugging and pecked Chris’s head, still not being able to fight the smile on his face. “Hey, Phil. I heard you’re leaving again today to go to your own family, when are you going?”  
“An hour, my mum told me to be there as soon as possible,” Phil said shrugging, his smile fading. He didn’t want to leave. As much as he absolutely loved his family, he didn’t want to leave Dan. Dan seemed pretty upset about him leaving his side, but maybe he’s just too protective. The whole ‘mortal’ thing is messing him up, honestly. He thinks he has to protect Phil at all costs because he’s able to die and his wounds don’t heal fast naturally.  
Phil glanced next to him, seeing Dan’s smile had slowly faded too and Phil quickly wrapped his arm around his waist, pulling him closer and gently pecking his head. He whispered a quiet ‘you’re overthinking, I’ll be fine’ and tightened his grip for a second. Dan’s mouth corners briefly curled up and whispered an ‘I know’. He leaned into Phil with a sigh.  
“Already in an hour? Wow, have you packed your bags yet?” Chris asked, relaxing as the topic changed. Phil nodded.  
“I still have my bags from getting back from Dan, I’ll just use those,” Phil shrugged. “Plus, it’s my house and my belongings such as clothing are still there. I didn’t bring everything to this hell hole.”  
“Yeah, me neither,” Dan responded, gently pecking Phil’s neck. “I’m going to miss you…” Dan added whiny, making Phil smile.  
“I’ll miss you too,” he replied, kissing him briefly and staring lovingly at him.  
“God, you two are adorable,” PJ sighed, a slight annoyance in his voice, making Phil frown slightly.  
“Is that a bad thing?” he asked, slowly raising an eyebrow and slightly tilting his head.  
“No, but you two are just so perfect together,” PJ growled. “You’re both attractive looking people, both like the same shit, you even have the same hairstyle for god’s sake! You both have weird habits you share! You two like the same TV-show, bands and food etc. How did you two, out of billions of people, meet? You two are almost meant to be together! Who’s in charge of this fucking system!? Who the FUCK made you two meet!? Who created this beautiful form of gay love!?” PJ slowly raised his voice, and started to angrily shout. He jumped up and pointed at Phil who frowned at him in confusion. “You are so fucking cute! Look at your goddamn face! Jesus Christ! You’re so sweet, loving and caring! You’re funny and beautiful and I HATE you for that. I love you, bro! Why are you so insecure, I’m not joking. Look at those eyes!” he briefly turned to Chris “Look at these beautiful blue seas of adorableness! ARE YOU LOOKING” he turned to Dan and squinted his eyes, not noticing that the room slowly quieted down and most eyes where fixed on PJ. “And YOU! YOU, Daniel Howell! You are one cocky son-of-a-bitch! You’re absolutely perfect with beautiful eyes that match your hair! You are so incredibly sweet and funny! You absolutely adore this guy sitting next to you! Every time you look at him, I almost throw up because of the love I see in your eyes! It’s disgusting! It’s beautiful!  
You two are exactly the same, and still opposites. I don’t know how you two do it, but everyone should look at you two and try to have an relationship similar to yours.”  
It was silent for a few seconds and PJ stood up straight, looking around. He frowned as he noticed as everyone was staring at him with slightly confused faces. He seized his chance.  
“THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS PERFECT!” he shouted, pointing at the two boys who were both as red as Santa’s hat. PJ placed his hands on his hips and grinned content, until an annoyed voice disturbed his happiness.  
“Hey new kid! I’ve got a question!” someone yelled, Dan flinched and immediately recognized this voice. David. Dan and Phil turned towards the voice and Dan was right, it was David who was grinning evilly at PJ. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”  
“What the fuck is wrong with your mum,” Dan shouted at David. The entire room immediately filled with screams and ‘oooh’s but they were all silenced when David threw them a glare.  
“Watch it, Howell,” David growled and stood up, bawling his fists. Dan stood up too, glaring at David who standing a few feet away. It was currently so quiet in the dining room, that you could hear an ant walk on the floor. “I’ll kick your ass.”  
“I would like to see you try,” Dan grinned. He knew he was an incredible dodger. Not so much a fighter. His punches where quite weak, just like his kicks. But when he was younger and went to a special Optimi school, he learned all the ins and outs about dodging. He was on top of his class.  
“Such confidence for someone who is as stupid as you,” David said grinning as he slowly approached Dan.  
“If I’m so stupid, then why where you friends with me for so long?” Dan asked, folding his arms. He didn’t care what David told him. He knew that he was just an asshole. He probably hated his life. Because no one who has a great life, wants to ruin other’s. A quote Dan lives by. And a quote Dan used to be.  
“That was before I knew about your gay problem,” David said rolling his eyes.  
“I’m bisex-” Dan exclaimed, being cut off by Chris.  
“Excuse me, what did you say?” Chris suddenly asked and frowned. “Gay _problem_? Being gay is not the problem, people like you are.”  
“Yeah, I bet you’re just as gay as we are,” Dan added grinning, seeing David’s face heat up.  
“What the fuck did you say!?” David growled and picked up his pace, stumping towards him.  
“I was exactly like you, remember,” Dan said, taking a step back as David stopped walking and stood right in front of him. “I bullied other’s for being gay, because I like boys myself. I used it to hide my true form. But somebody once told me” Dan looked at Phil with a smile “that once you come out, you will discover your true self.”  
“You’re disgusting,” David growled and glanced at Phil. “You both are.”  
“Don’t you dare say anything about him,” Dan growled and bawled his fists. “He’s the nicest and sweetest person I have ever met.”  
“Did I mention something sensitive? It’s hilarious watching you get angry when I mention that loser, proper entertainment if you ask me,” David grinned and ran a hand through his hair. “If I just say some things about him, you’ll freak out. It’s honestly so funny!”  
“Shut up,” Dan growled and shot David a death glare. Phil gently tugged at his sleeve.  
“Dan, stop,” he said quietly. “I don’t care I’m used to it.”  
“But it’s not supposed to be like that,” Dan responded and turned to Phil, crouching down next to him and cupping his cheek. “Remember when we started talking for the first time? Remember that? You thought me a lesson, I’ll never forget that. You told me how nobody deserves to be bullied. Nobody. That also means you, Phil. I want to protect you if I have to.”  
“Just stop,” Phil pleaded making Dan frown at him. There was a certain glint in his eyes that Dan didn’t recognize. “Stop this.”  
“What? What do you mean? I just want you to feel better,” Dan said frowning, not understanding what Phil was trying to imply.  
“You don’t want to make me feel better,” Phil said shaky, shaking his head. “It’s not about me.”  
“What? Of course it is!” Dan exclaimed. “It’s their fault you’re feeling bad.”  
“It’s not about me, Dan, it’s never about me,” Phil said again. “It’s about you. You’re trying to make yourself feel better.”  
“What are you talking about?” Dan asked confused. “I don’t know what you mean. What are you trying to say?”  
“You know damn well,” Phil said, looking down at the ground. “You want to make yourself feel better because you blame yourself for everything that happened to me.” Dan wanted to respond, to say something that would be defensive enough to make himself believe himself. “You know that you’re the one who started bullying. Remember? When we were freshmen, and you caught me writing a boy’s name in my notebook with hearts around it. You were the one who screamed it through the classroom and started calling me names. You started it all, and you’re protecting me because you want to feel better about starting it. You’re frustrated because you started all this, and now you can’t end it.”  
Dan didn’t respond. He couldn’t. He thought Phil forgot or didn’t know that he started it. And Dan knew Phil was right, he was definitely right.  
“Phil… I…” Dan started, his words got trapped in his mouth. Unable to leave. “You’re right. But that doesn’t mean I love you, and I _do_ still want to protect you.”  
“I know, I just wanted you to realise this,” Phil said, a small smile crept on his face. “I love you too.”  
“You better,” Dan said smiling and kissed his boyfriend, ignoring the disgusted throw up noises from David behind them. Dan held up his middle finger at David as he continued kissing Phil. After a few seconds they broke away and smiled at each other.  
“Yo, Howell. I wasn’t finished with you yet,” David said and grabbed Dan’s shoulder, pulling him away. Dan stood up and turned to David. He gave him a warm smile and gently hugged him, feeling David freeze.  
“Go fuck yourself, Dave,” Dan said sweetly and broke away, holding him by his shoulders. “I absolutely hate you.”  
With that, he took Phil’s hand and pulled him up. They waved at David, both with a smile on their faces and left the room. Soon they were back in their dorm and Phil grabbed his bags.  
“Wait! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Dan asked frowning, taking Phil’s sleeve between his thumb and index fingers, gently tugging it. “Don’t leave yet, please.”  
“I have to, I promised my mum,” Phil grinned as he saw Dan’s big eyes and a pout. “I don’t want to leave you either, but it’s only for 2 days. We can Skype, remember.”  
“Yeah, okay,” Dan sighed and quickly thought of an excuse to make Phil stay a bit longer. He slowly smirked and bit his lip. “Phil, your shoelace is untied. Let me fix it for you.”  
Dan winked and slowly sunk down on his knees, his hands sliding down Phil’s shoulders to his arms and finally resting on his hip. Phil grinned and shook his head, gently running his fingers through Dan’s hair when he felt him palm him.  
“You’re just doing this to keep me here longer,” Phil grinned and bit his lip when Dan pushed his palm down further against his hardening length, groaning.  
“Hmm, also because I want to please you…” Dan said and grinned when he added “daddy.”  
Phil gasped when he heard the nickname and grinned. “Did PJ inspire you, baby?”  
“I’ve actually been thinking about it for a while,” Dan confessed and undid Phil’s jeans. “It might be really hot, I don’t know.”  
“You can try it out, baby,” Phil said biting his bottom lip. “You should really tell me your secret kinks to try out sometimes.”  
“Great idea,” Dan grinned and stroked Phil through the layer of cotton, enjoying the gentle hair pulls he was getting. He felt Phil slowly hardening a bit and left gently kisses all over his clothed length. Phil groaned as Dan pulled his boxers down, letting his hard-on spring free. Dan moaned at the sight and gave it a long lick from base to tip. He took the head in his mouth and gently sucked on it, humming. Phil pulled at Dan’s hear and moaned.  
“Fuck, baby,” Phil moaned and rolled his eyes when he felt Dan’s tongue dig in his slit. “You’re so fucking good at this.”  
“You just have such a nice cock, daddy,” Dan said when he pulled off for a second, winking at Phil. Phil groaned and bit his lip.  
“Does you calling me daddy mean I can dominate you? I mean, I did that before but that was months ago, I don’t know if you’re still okay with that. After… you know, what happened,” Phil said with a shy smile, Dan widened his eyes and bit his lip. He nodded eagerly.  
“Fuck, that sounds hot, Phil,” Dan moaned. “I can’t wait until you get back.”  
“We can try out all your kinks, baby,” Phil grinned. “What do you want me to do to you?”  
“I want you to tie me up again, it’s been so long,” Dan said excited, giving Phil another swift lick around his tip. “And I want you to use toys again… and-and I want you to spank me! I want you to punish me when I did something bad, daddy…”  
“I will do all those things, it sounds really hot,” Phil smirked and ran his hand through Dan’s hair. “But let’s focus on you sucking me off right now, slut.” He added and pushed Dan’s head down around him, groaning low. Dan moaned in surprise and eagerly started sucking, already loving how Phil treated him. Phil kept Dan’s hair tight in his hands, forcing him to bob up and down around him. Dan moaned and licked around him, hollowing his cheeks.  
“Fuck, just like that, you whore,” Phil growled and started to trust into his mouth, digging himself down Dan’s throat. Dan gagged and moaned around him, absolutely loving the feeling of Phil being dominant. A few thrusts later, Phil pulled Dan off by his hair. Dan looked up with wide, teary and innocent eyes, his mouth still hanging open and one string of saliva still kept him attached to Phil’s tip. Phil groaned at the sight, tightening his grip on Dan’s hair.  
“Daddy, what’s wrong?” Dan asked with a pout.  
“I didn’t want to cum in your mouth,” Phil explained frowning, hearing an annoyed huff from Dan.  
“You’re so stupid, I swear to god,” Dan sighed, rolling his eyes at Phil. He felt Phil loosen his grip a bit and Dan seized his chance. He dove down and took Phil whole at once, eagerly sucking. Phil gasped and groaned is surprise. Dan hollowed his cheeks and moaned. His tongue danced all around Phil and he hummed, looking up and winking. Phil’s knees buckled and he moaned out, releasing into Dan’s mouth. Dan swallowed around him and pulled off with a satisfied sigh. He stood up, pulling Phil’s jeans and boxers up with him. Phil quickly buckled his belt and buttoned his jeans, his cheeks flustered as he tried to regulate his breathing. Dan gently pecked Phil’s neck.  
“I’m going to miss you so much, you know,” he whispered, planting another soft kiss on Phil’s smooth, pale skin. “I don’t want you to leave me. I want to be with you and protect you from all harm.”  
“You’re amazing and sweet, but I’m already late, sorry,” Phil said apologizing, wrapping his harms around Dan into a tight hug. “I have to go, I love you.”  
“I love you too,” Dan whispered, inhaling Phil’s scent and letting his breath free with a soft hum. After a while Phil slowly loosened his grip, making Dan do the same. Dan looked at Phil and gently cupped his cheek. They leaned forward and gave each other a soft and sweet kiss before they broke away. Phil grabbed his bags and smiled at Dan, leaning forward and pecking his cheek.  
“See you in a few days,” Phil said, biting his bottom lip. Dan nodded and hugged Phil again.  
“Bye, Phil. Have fun,” he said and tightened his grip for a second before loosening it. Phil smiled and waved, turning away from Dan and walking to their door. He gasped as he felt Dan smack his butt and turned around with a frown, rubbing his stinging bum with his hand.  
“Bye, Lion,” Dan said grinning and winked, waving at him. Phil chuckled and left the dorm, closing the door behind him. Dan sighed and let himself fall backwards on Phil’s empty bed, already missing him.


	27. Chapter 27

Dan was awoken by a faint buzzing noise. He groaned and turned his face towards it with narrow eyes, seeing his phone light up and buzz around. Dan sighed and turned his back towards it, ignoring the noise and waited for it to stop. He was too tired to care right now. The buzzing noise slowly faded away and Dan felt himself drift off to sleep again, letting out a satisfied breath. He was rudely interrupted from his journey to his dreamland when the noise started again. Dan groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes. He stretched his arms, hearing his bones crackle and reached for his phone. Only just too late to pick it up in time. He rolled his eyes and yawned. Dan saw that it was already a few minutes past 3am and frowned as he saw 11 missed calls from Adrian, starting 15 minutes ago. He slowly raised an eyebrow and Adrian’s image flashed on the screen again, his phone vibrating in his hands. He tapped the green button and pressed the phone against his ear.  
“Yo, Ade,” Dan groaned with a sleepy voice and stretched his arms again. “What’s up? I saw you called several times, who’s dead?”  
“I-it’s mum,” Adrian choked out with a panicking voice. Dan frowned when he heard his little brother’s voice tremble.  
“What? What about mum? Is she dead?” Dan asked shocked and swung his legs out of his bed. “How did that happen?”  
“She’s not dead! She’s perfectly fine. But she found out about you and Phil,” Adrian quickly said scared. “She and a team of Optimi are after him. There were a lot of them, I don’t know how many. I overheard them talking. They know Phil’s at his parent’s house and they’re going to get him, but first get some supplies. I don’t know what they meant by ‘supplies’ and I-I don’t know what they’re going to do, but I think they’re going to kill him. Please… please safe him! Take him far away from there. I don’t know if, but they might brought tracker Optimi too. It’s a logical thing to do.”  
“Wow, what!?” Dan exclaimed, jumping up and stretching his wings. He pulled a sweater out of his closet, one without a back and put his phone on the speaker. He threw it on his bed as he wriggled his wings through the sweater.  
“I don’t know how she found out, but she seemed really pissed,” Adrian said. “Please tell me you know where he is.”  
“I-I have no idea,” Dan said, his voice slightly raised as he wrestled himself in a pair of skinny jeans, feeling anxiety build up. “I will find out where he is and safe him. Adrian, thank you so much for calling.”  
“Look, I don’t do this for Phil, but for you. You really like him and I don’t want you to feel horrible for the rest of your time,” Adrian explained quickly. “Which is a long time.”  
“Thanks, Ade,” Dan said honest. He grabbed his phone from the bed and hung up. He opened Twitter, remembering that Phil tweeted something when he got home. Dan quickly scrolled through his dash, soon catching Phil’s tweet. He thanked the gods as he saw that the location was on and he quickly opened Google Maps. He entered the address and a route appeared. He kept his eyes fixed on the screen as he walked towards the window. He roughly threw the cardboard on the floor and jumped out of the window. He let himself fall 2 stories down before he opened his wings and closed them as hard as possible, shooting up with an almost 90 degree angle. Dan opened and closed his wings again, and again. His heart pumped his blood faster through his veins, the adrenaline coursed through his body screaming to go faster. Faster. Faster!  
“Phil,” Dan whispered determined. “Must save Phil.”  
The cold wind clawed at Dan’s sweater, impaling parts of his exposed neck and back but he didn’t feel it. He looked at his phone which was slightly confused. The person taking this route was supposed to be walking. How can a walking person go almost 60m/h and cross lakes with such ease? Dan squinted his eyes, seeing he should be there in a few minutes if he went a bit faster. Dan frowned and grunted as he clapped his wings harder and faster towards his destination. The odometer on his phone was slightly freaking out at Dan’s alarming velocity. 70m/h… 75m/h… Dan’s eyes teared up at the cold, stinging wind. He flew at his top speed for a minute. He glanced at his phone, seeing he was definitely nearing Phil’s house. He slowly lowered his speed a bit and prayed to the Gods that his mum and the other Optimi hadn’t taken Phil away yet. He glanced down at his phone again as he went from 70m/h to 40m/h to 20m/h. He squinted his eyes at the houses he was nearing, his phone telling him he had reached his destination. Dan roamed all the houses with his eyes, he couldn’t read the exact number but noticed one that kind of fitted Phil’s stories. He rushed towards it, recognising a window that Phil described. His bedroom window, easy to climb out of. He had told Dan how he always did that with his friend, Alex was his name but Dan wasn’t sure of that, to look at the stars at night. He would lie if that didn’t make him jealous. The light was on and Dan just had to take the risk. He shot towards it.

Phil chewed on the back of his pencil, carefully studying his maths homework. He absolutely loved Dan and spending time with him, but he had gotten behind on almost all the subjects. Even math which he loved so much. He scribbled down an answer and placed the pencil between his teeth again, gently grinding them around it. He groaned quietly and frowned, reading the question again. A deafening crash disturbed him from his homework, making him scream and protect his head with his arms. His squeezed shut eyes opened a bit and he peeked through his eyelashes, lowering his arms when he saw Dan sprawled across the floor in the oddest angle.  
“Dan!” Phil exclaimed frowning, sitting up. “We really need to have a serious conversation about your ‘breaking windows’ habit-”  
Dan jumped up, ignoring Phil and shrugging the glass off his shoulders. He ran towards him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking Phil around.  
“Are you okay!?” Dan asked panicked and grabbed Phil’s jaw with his hands. Dan tilted Phil’s head, carefully examining him. “Are they here yet!? Did they hurt you!?”  
“What the hell are you talking about? Who’s supposed to hurt me?” Phil asked frowning, slapping Dan’s hands away. Dan bit his lip, feeling a spark of hope when he realised that the Optimi hadn’t touched him yet. “I was just making my maths as I’m behind on a lot of-”  
“Phil? Is everything okay?” a woman’s voice sounded from downstairs. The two looked at the door of Phil’s bedroom, hearing the stairs creak. Someone was coming and Phil’s eyes widened at Dan.  
“Oh god, what the hell are you doing here!?” Phil whisper-shouted. Dan wasn’t having any of that and scooped Phil up bridal-style. He trotted towards the window, flapping his wings a few times to prepare for take-off.  
“Dan! No! My family is downstairs!” Phil exclaimed, kicking around to fight Dan’s strong grip.  
“Phil? Is that you?” the woman’s voice asked in the hallway, walking towards Phil’s room. Dan ignored it completely and sat down on the edge of the window, letting himself fall backwards and immediately catching himself to shoot up, just in time as Phil’s mum walked in. Met by nothing but an empty room, a broken window and shattered glass. She gasped and walked towards the window, looking around but seeing nothing. All she heard was a faint yell. Phil screamed in the process of Dan’s upwards acceleration, clawing at Dan’s sweater as Dan flew faster and faster. He didn’t really have a plan, just fly into a random direction and keep going. Get away as far and as fast as possible. Phil briefly looked down and squealed. Fuck, they were already high up in the sky. Dan tightened his grip on Phil, pulling him against his chest and gently pecking his forehead.  
“I’ve got you, baby,” Dan said reassuringly and stopped going higher, slowly beginning to fly horizontally . “No one will hurt you. Not on my watch.”  
“Mind telling me what the hell is actually happening?” Phil squealed and pulled his sweater sleeves over his palms, laying his hands on the back of Dan’s neck for support.  
“It’s-it’s my mum,” Dan said, slightly panting as a thin layer of sweat formed on his forehead. “She found out about us! She and a team of Optimi are after you. I-I won’t let them touch you!”  
“Jesus Christ! What will they do to me!?” Phil exclaimed scared, raising his voice because of the wind.  
“I don’t know!” Dan shouted above the noise of the wind. “I’m fearing the worst, though! They’ll probably kill you! So we have to go!”  
“Well, what did you have in mind!?” Phil exclaimed frustrated, looking back and seeing how his house had disappeared into oblivion. “Where are we going to stay!?”  
“I don’t know, somewhere far away!” Dan shouted as he increased in speed, shooting through the sky. “Very far away!”  
“But, they can’t kill me!” Phil exclaimed frowning. “I have a whole family and some friends who will miss me and search for me! My mum probably walked in right after we left!”  
“Don’t you understand!?” Dan shouted frustrated. “The Optimi will wipe you from all of their memories, destroy all your photos and get rid of all the things you made! It will look like you never existed!”  
“How did your people even lose the bloody war if they can do that!?” Phil yelled confused and angrily at the same time. Dan wanted to explain but Phil cut him off. “That’s terrifying!”  
“Don’t worry, I won’t let them get to you!” Dan shouted, feeling his energy drain as he kept trying to go faster and faster. Sweat dribbled down his forehead, the tips of his hair beginning to curl. Dan cursed himself for barely ever exercising, feeling his wings and arms sting. They flew further and further, seeing the cities turn into little villages which turn in to fields. They flew for a while at Dan’s top speed of 70m/h and Dan was heavy breathing by now, wheezing with every inhale. The speed of the flight suddenly drastically decreased as Dan grunted quietly, falling down a few metres. Phil gasped and gently tugged at the collar of his sweater, looking up at him with concern filled eyes.  
“Maybe we should land for the night, okay?” Phil suggested with a frown. “We’re almost in Scotland, look at all the fields, they won’t find us in a day at least, right? They have no idea we went this way.”  
“They… probably brought… trackers… they’ll know… where we are…” Dan choked out between his pants of exhaustion. “We have… to keep… going…”  
“Trackers? Dan, if we don’t land now, we will probably crash into a lake or maybe even an ocean or a sea!” Phil exclaimed. “You need to rest, you’re exhausted!”  
“I’m fine… don’t w-worry about it, baby,” Dan breathed heavily, cracking a smile. Phil shook his head at Dan’s stubbornness. “We’ll stop… when I get tired… mkay?”  
“So, you’re not tired right now?” Phil asked Dan with an eye-roll. “You’re more dead than alive right now.”  
“I’m fine!” Dan growled and clapped his wings a bit harder, increasing their speed a bit. Dan winched at the pain but kept going. Phil gently tugged at his collar again, looking at him with pleading eyes.  
“You’re in pain, who are you trying to impress!” Phil exclaimed. “Just land, this is killing you. There is a beautiful field, right underneath us. Land, make a fire, sleep. Tomorrow we’ll fly further, okay?”  
“… okay,” Dan said reluctantly after a few seconds. He slowly descended and finally landed on his feet. His knees buckled immediately and fell on the ground after Phil quickly hopped off his arms. Dan dropped himself face-first into grass. He laid there on the cold ground, letting the pointy grass tickle the side of his cheek and temple and breathed heavily. Phil crouched down beside him, gently petting his hair. Dan coughed, light at first. He sat up and held his stomach as he coughed more and harder, a high noise sounding like a wheeze escaped his lips with every cough. Phil frowned concerned, patting his back. Dan covered his mouth with his hand, continuing to cough.  
“Christ, are you okay?” Phil asked worried and ran his hand through Dan’s hair. He briefly looked up and Phil saw tears in his eye corners. He slowly stopped coughing and looked at his hand in shock. Phil snatched his wrist, looking at his hand too. “Oh my…”  
“It’s nothing,” Dan murmured, clearing his throat and spitting in the grass. He wiped his blood ridden hand over the ground, ‘cleaning’ it.  
“You’re coughing up blood, that means your lungs are fucking _bleeding_!” Phil exclaimed solicitously. Dan spat again and wiped his mouth off with the roof of his hand, wiping his hand on his jeans.  
“It’s okay, I heal fast,” Dan told Phil reassuringly, clearing his throat again and spat in the grass. “It’ll be fine in a few hours. And before you’re going to ask it, no. I can’t heal myself, the wounds are internal.”  
“Promise you’ll be okay?” Phil asked, seeing Dan nod with a smile. “Cross your heart, hope to die?”  
“Ugh, Phil. You’re so childish,” Dan said rolling his eyes. Phil pouted with sad eyes, and Dan grunted. He crossed his heart. “See, I crossed it. Now sleep.”  
“I’m exhausted, it’s like 4am,” Phil sighed and let himself fall down next to Dan. “I think it’s better if you don’t make a fire, you should save your strengths. Besides, there is no wood.”  
“…Shit, you’re right,” Dan said after a few seconds of processing and shot straight up, his eyes roaming the environment. “We’re in the middle of nowhere. In the middle of a fucking _flat_ landscape! They will see us from miles away! We have to search for something like a forest!”  
“I’m not moving anymore,” Phil murmured and curled up in a ball to retreat some of his body warmth. “I’m exhausted, and so are you. It’s better if we just rest. They won’t find us. Remember that sometimes, holding on does more damage than letting go.”  
“But, Phil…” Dan whined, tugging at his arm. “We have to be safe… it’s not safe enough here…”  
“I’m already sleeping,” Phil mumbled and heard Dan sigh. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Phil. A sudden possessiveness and feeling of responsibility fell over him. Nothing was allowed to happen to him. Protect Phil Lester at all costs.  
Dan sighed and laid down behind Phil, wrapping his sore arms and wings around him. Phil quietly hummed a ‘good night’ and Dan answered it with a gentle peck on his neck. The boys relaxed and drifted off to sleep.  
Not for long as a few hours later, Dan was awoken by a loud thump, as if multiple things landed close to them.


	28. Chapter 28

Dan’s eyes opened and he shot up when he saw someone standing in front of him. A few feet away from him stood his mother, glaring at him. Dan slowly looked around and saw that they were surrounded by Optimi, he counted at least ten of them standing a few feet away from the two in a big circle. Dan gasped and a sudden fear exploded in his stomach. Phil was still peacefully sleeping next to him in the cold grass. Dan bit his lip and quickly tugged at his sleeve.  
“Phil, wake up,” Dan whispered as his wide eyes scanned the Optimi around him again. They all had their wings out, big and majestic. Their clothes matched their wings perfectly and he couldn’t help but feel impressed by their sense of style. Dan saw a young woman with pale skin standing next to his mum. She had long, wavy blonde hair resting on her lower back. She was wearing a pretty dress that was white at the top and faded to a baby blue shade. Just like her wings as the feathers were white that faded to baby blue. She had a bow and an arrow in her hand, both white with little blue motives on them. Little flowers that represented peace and happiness. The white quiver on her back was stuffed with the long arrows. Her appearance was so calming, so soothing and so beautiful. Her face on the other hand was angry. She was glaring in disgust at Dan who rose from the ground. She had a determined face, one that was filled with combativeness that reminded Dan of a mixture of Athena and Artemis. Dan recognised her immediately. How could he forget his aunt Mira? His mother’s little sister?  
All the Optimi around him were equally as beautiful. Being one doesn’t only make you immortal, but you stop aging as soon as you’re the most beautiful you’ll ever be. He didn’t recognise any other except for his mum and her younger sister.  
Phil groaned and turned around, his eyes still shut and curled up like a ball. Dan bowed down and tapped his shoulder.  
“Phil, come on,” he whispered desperately, straightening up and looking around. Phil sighed and shook his head.  
“No… I’m still tired,” he grumbled and frowned. “They won’t find us, don’t worry.”  
Dan was about to tell him that they already had found them, but someone else cut him off before he even started his sentence. A coloured man took a step towards the two. His wings were one of the biggest of them all. Pitch black on top and red at the bottom as if they had been dunked into a bowl of blood. He was wearing black jeans and a leather jacket. A red belt made the whole thing look intimidating.  
“Daniel James Howell,” he started and Dan widened his eyes at the man’s voice. It was deep and low but it didn’t scare Dan. There was something so beautiful about the way this man spoke. It was just so calming. So… melodic. Phil heard the voice too and opened his eyes, sitting up straight and looked around in shock. He gasped as he scanned the crowd, suddenly surrounded by the beautiful, glaring creatures. “You broke some of the most important laws in our history. You are having a relationship with a human and told him about our existence. You even taught him everything about us, including our spells and powers. With that, you brought our entire community in danger. So we’re going to ask nicely at first: hand in the human.”  
Phil frowned and jumped up, brushing some dust off his clothing as he anxiously skimmed the crowd. He was surprised at how beautiful all these creatures were. Dan suddenly grabbed his wrist and yanked him closer next to him.  
“No,” he growled and pulled Phil against him. “Stay away from him, he does no harm. He couldn’t even kill an ant.”  
“Daniel, if you hand in the human now, we will only erase his memory,” the man said, throwing a disgusted glance at Phil who cringed. Even though Phil was still an inch taller than Dan, he suddenly felt so tiny next to him.  
“That’s a lie! I know what you do to humans!” Dan shouted angrily and pulled Phil in a hug. “I will not let you get to him! He’s mine! And I’m his!”  
“Dan,” Janet suddenly spoke and took a step forward. Phil frowned and looked at her. She was looking so… beautiful. She already looked pretty for her age with Christmas, but now. She looked like someone in their twenties. And her voice, it was so different from how she spoke when they met. It’s so soothing and Phil couldn’t help but feel slightly calm. “How could you do this? You’re putting our entire family in shame. I’m so disappointed in you.”  
“Love is not a choice, mother!” Dan yelled and hugged Phil tighter. “And I couldn’t help falling in love with him.”  
“Daniel, hand in the human,” the man said slightly threatening, taking another step forwards. “Hand him in and he will die a quick and painless death.”  
“I don’t want to live without him!” Dan exclaimed. “You might as well kill me too!”  
“Dan,” Phil said and pulled away from the hug, looking at him with a small smile. “I love you, but you don’t have to do this.”  
“I love you too, I’ll protect you!” Dan said shocked, realising Phil didn’t even want to let him fight for him. “They won’t get to you, trust me! I’ll always be here to protect you, Phil!”  
“Daniel…” his mum said threateningly. Phil gasped as her beautiful, soothing and melodic voice suddenly went dark. Phil felt a shiver run down his spine.  
“No!” Dan screamed, pulling Phil against his chest again. “I will _never_ let you take him! He’s my soulmate, my other half!”  
“Zeus would never make a mistake like that!” Mira spat out at Dan and placed an arrow on her bow, lightly pulling the thin string back.   
“Because it’s not a mistake!” Dan exclaimed and kissed Phil’s head. “We love each other!”  
“Dear Gods, Dan. You’re seventeen years old, you don’t know what love is,” Janet said with an eye-roll and shook her head. Dan glared at her.  
“And you do? It took you a years before you met dad and he left you for a reason,” Dan growled low. Several Optimi gasped and something flew towards them at high speed. Phil gasped and squeezed his eyes shut as Dan widened his eyes and held his hand up just in time before it had impaled Phil’s back. Dan looked at the white and blue arrow that was shot their way and then up at his aunt who was glaring at them. She reached at her quiver and pulled another arrow out, placing it on her bow. Dan kept his hand in the air, feeling the connection between his hand and the arrow. Dan glared at Mira. “You shouldn’t have done that, you Imporium.”  
“Daniel!” Janet exclaimed as she heard the curse along with a few gasps from the others. He had called her the curse the humans gave them when they were still aware of their existence. Probably the worst swear in their culture. Mira raised her eyebrows and nodded impressed.  
“You’re already more human than I thought,” she said low and intimidating. “I helped your mum raise you, you know. How could you say something like that to me? We only want what’s best for you.”  
“There is no better than Phil,” Dan growled, still holding his hand up as Phil gently pulled away from the hug, looking at the arrow in fear. Dan turned the arrow around and launched it at his aunt who flew up, dodging it. “Now fuck off.”  
“This is your last chance, hand in the human or prepare to fight,” the man said glaring, seeing some of the Optimi look in shock at Mira who slowly descended and landed on her feet again.  
“You kind of sounded like team Rocket,” Dan said frowning, seeing some confused glances. “You know, from Pokémon? ‘Surrender now or prepare to fight’? ‘Meow, that’s right’? No?”  
“Dan, maybe now is not the time for Pokémon references,” Phil whispered and looked around anxiously.  
“Maybe you’re right,” Dan chuckled nervously and focused back on the man. “What where we doing again? Oh right, no. No, I’m not giving him to you.”  
“Then you’re asking for it,” the man said and opened his hand, a fire ignited in it. The fire was about three times bigger than Dan usually made and he felt slightly intimidated. Dan took a step back.  
“He has Calor, like you,” Phil noticed and pointed at the man, hearing some gasps.  
“Now is not the time to reveal your knowledge about us that you’re not even supposed to know in the first place, Phil,” Dan whispered, getting an ‘oh, right. Yeah, s’cool’ from Phil. Phil looked around, seeing the Optimi prepare for battle. Some of them placed an arrow on their bow, Phil figured that they probably don’t have enough skill with powers or they’re saving their strengths to use them later. Phil noticed a pretty girl. She was pale and had long black hair, and bright blue eyes like himself. She was wearing a dress, similar to Mira’s, except that it was black on the top and faded to a deep purple colour. Her wings were absolutely huge, a bit bigger than Dan’s and were, just like her dress, black on top and purple on the bottom. She opened her hand and it looked like fire formed, except that it was black.  
“Dan, she has black fire, what does that mean,” Phil whispered and nodded at the girl.  
“That the fire is not able to hit Optimi, only humans and animals,” Dan whispered back. “It takes twice the strength than with usual fire.”  
“Stop telling him everything!” Janet exclaimed frowning, getting ignored by Dan. Phil kept skimming the Optimi, counting ten exactly. One of them was entirely in baby blue, which faded to a darker kind of blue. She was holding a big icicle with a sharp point, similar to a speer. _Why not just use a normal speer,_ Phil asked himself, _I guess I’ll find out_.  
Optimi were holding bows and arrows, fire, black fire, icicles and behind one of them there was a gigantic scary plant that had popped out of the ground.   
It all seemed so dangerous and painful.  
And Phil made his decision.  
He turned to Dan and quickly kissed him, whispering an ‘I love you’ before he walked towards the coloured man. Dan gasped and snatched his wrist, pulling him back.  
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Dan whisper-shouted, examining Phil.  
“Don’t you remember what I said to you after you told me everything?” Phil asked with a warm smile, briefly looking at the ground before looking up again. Dan slowly shook his head and Phil chuckled. “I said that if you’re going to be the death of me, then that’s how I want to go.”  
“Phil, no,” Dan said strict, tightening his grip on Phil’s wrist. “I’m not letting you go. Not this easily, not without a fight. I will never forgive myself. I won’t be able to.”  
“Baby,” Phil said smiling and cupped Dan’s cheek. “All parts of me, just wanted you to know. That sometimes it’s okay, to let a good thing go.”  
“Stop,” Dan whispered with a trembling voice and shook his head, feeling tears in his eyes. “Just stop, stop this. Please, no. I love you I love you I love you…”  
“I love you too,” Phil whispered back and pecked Dan’s lips again. Phil turned away from him. “I’m turning myself in, just don’t hurt Dan.”  
“How smart of you,” the man said but Phil was roughly pulled back by Dan.  
“No, Phil,” he growled with a glare. “Don’t you fucking _dare_ leave me alone in this shitty world.”  
“Let him go now or we will start firing,” the woman in purple and black said. Dan glared at her and kept his tight grip on Phil’s wrist.  
“Bring. It. On.” Dan growled and with that, the Optimi started firing.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sup diggity dogs lolzor  
> so there's a lot of Latin in this one, yay me  
> so here's a list of translations:  
>  _Imporium_ = wicked/godless  
>  _Commodo_ = Please (begging)  
>  _Adiuva me_ = Help me (begging)  
>  _Morior_ = Die  
>  _Gladius Homicidium_ = The sword of murder  
>  _Cur_ = Why

“Get down!” Dan screamed and pushed Phil onto the ground, stopping two arrows coming their way from each side. Phil landed on the ground with a ‘umpf’ and a groan, sitting up. Dan fired the arrows right back at the Optimi who shot them with a grunt. He was just in time to dodge a black fireball and an icicle flying towards him. Phil gasped as he saw the icicle fly back towards the blue Optimi woman, catching it. _Oh, that’s why she doesn’t use a normal speer_ , Phil thought.  
“Stop!” Dan screamed stopping another arrow and launching it back. “He doesn’t want to hurt anyone!”  
“That’s what they all say!” the Optimi in green shouted back, throwing his hands towards the two. The absolutely humungous plant behind him with two long stems and in the middle a big Gemma with teeth stretched out. It’s long stems reached out to the two. “They say that they love you! And when they get the chance, they’ll experiment on you! Or torture you!”  
Dan held his hands up, feeling his energy connect with the air and make an invisible shield. The stems poked it and banged on it, Dan grunted and tried to hold the shield up. He heard Phil scream and looked back, seeing how Phil just in time dodged another arrow.  
“Just hand him over and there will be no blood shed!” a male Optimi in yellow shouted, firing an arrow at Phil who jumped backwards, dodging it by an inch.  
“What about _his_ blood!?” Dan screamed and turned to it, still holding the shield as he fired a little fireball at the man. Dan ignored the snorts and laughs he was getting for firing such a tiny fireball with such little speed and barely any coordination. Dan retreated his hand to the shield, pushing against it as he felt himself getting shoved backwards. He grunted and felt a bead of sweat drip down his temple.  
“Human’s blood has no value!” another Optimi yelled as Dan slowly started panting. In the meantime Phil was squeaking and gasping as he tried dodging the spells and arrows flying his way.  
“Stop!” Phil screamed scared. “I surrender!”  
“No, Phil! I’m getting you out of this!” Dan exclaimed, panting and he grunted.  
“This is draining all your energy, I don’t want you to die!” Phil exclaimed. “And I’ll die anyways, so just let me do this. For us.”  
Janet held her hand up and the Optimi slowly stopped firing, even the one in green retreated. Dan’s hands drooped down next to his body as he looked around in shock.  
“No! No, no, no, no!” Dan said panicked, shaking his head and bawling his fists. “I will beat you all!”  
“Dan, it’s okay,” Phil said smiling and laid one hand gently on his shoulder, the other cupping his cheek. “You fought, I can go now.”  
“No, Phil. I don’t want to lose you,” Dan stammered, tears welling up. “Don’t do this, please…”  
“Baby, it’s okay,” Phil said again. “It was fun while it lasted, right? We knew this was against the law in your culture, and we still did it. I knew this was coming someday.”  
“But that doesn’t mean you should just allow them to kill you,” Dan’s voice broke in the middle of his sentence and a tear escaped his eye-corner, Phil gently wiped it away with his thumb. “Please, stop this…”  
“Dan, I love you,” Phil said smiling. “God, I love you so much. And after I’m gone, I want you to go on with your life, but I don’t want you to forget me.”  
“I could never,” Dan said with a shaky voice. “How could I forget you?”  
“I wish you the best, my baby bear,” Phil said smiling, a tear escaping. Dan hugged him tight, beginning to cry into his chest. His fingers tangling in Phil’s shirt, bawling his eyes out when he pushed the side of his head against Phil’s chest. He heard Phil’s steady heartbeat, wishing it’d go on forever.  
“I l-love you, Phil…” Dan cried. “I d-don’t want to l-lose you… there is s-still so m-much for us to s-see and do t-together…”  
“We already did loads of things,” Phil said and sniffled his nose, pulling away from Dan, placing his hand on his cheek and hip. “We’ve had fun.”  
“Not e-enough,” Dan sobbed, his shoulders shaking violently. “I love you s-so much-” Dan wanted to say more but was cut off when he saw something shot towards them. He was too late to stop it and a white with blue arrow impaled Phil through his chest, the point only inches away from Dan. Both of the boys looked down at it in shock. Phil looked back up at Dan. Dan shook his head. “No, no I can heal you, let me heal you-”  
“Bear, we’ve had loads fun,” Phil said smiling at Dan, a drop of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. “We’ve had so much fun. Remember when we met and realised we had so much in common? I found that fun. Or when you played piano in the art gallery. Or when you started giving me lessons in playing piano. I’ve had so much fun, Dan” Phil smiled brightly at Dan, ignoring the pain in his chest.   
“Please, Phil, let me heal you,” Dan sobbed quietly, realising this was probably the last time he was able to see the beautiful smile. He placed his hand on Phil’s chest, only to be taken by Phil who laced their fingers together. “I can heal you, Phil… please… let me…”  
“Or the time when we gently persuaded Adrian to have a date with Gabriela. That was so much fun,” Phil continued and Dan smiled through his tears, thinking back with Phil to the great times they’ve had in their little time. “Christmas was great, being with you was just fun. It was amazing. I’ve had an amazing time. And trust me, there is nothing I want to do more than growing old with you, but it’s over now. You had fun too, right?”  
“Yes…” Dan sobbed quietly, giving up on persuading Phil to let him heal him. “It was the most fun, I’ve ever had...”  
And with that, Phil’s muscles relaxed and he collapsed into Dan’s arms with a satisfied sigh. Dan’s eyes widened as his breath became uneven, slowly sinking on his knees with the boy in his arms.  
“Ph-Phil?” Dan asked quietly with a trembling voice, gently pushing his fringe from his eye. Dan’s breathing became shakier by the second and he ripped the arrow from his back, looking at it. He looked up at Mira who shot the white and blue arrow.  
“This was taking way too long,” she said with an evil grin. Dan turned back to Phil, wide eyes and a frown as he slowly shook his head.  
“No…” he whispered, cupping Phil’s lifeless cheek. “No!”  
“Okay, nice work today, guys,” the male Optimi in black and red said and clapped his wings a few times. “Let’s go.”  
“You murderers!” Dan screamed, tears streaming down his face and slowly rose after gently laying Phil on his back. “You killed him!”  
“That was kind of the whole plan,” Mira said with an eye-roll. Dan glared and he swung a flat hand towards her, planning on using Motus. Mira’s eyes widened and she grasped at her stomach, wrapping her arms around it. She gasped for breath and blood oozed from her mouth. She fell on her knees and then on her side, blood streaming from her stomach, painting her pretty white dress dark red.   
“Mira!” Janet exclaimed and rushed to her little sister, examining her carefully. Janet gently pulled Mira’s arms away from her stomach. Her dress was cut open and a deep wound was overflowing with blood. Drops of blood dripped down her face as she looked at her sister in shock, her fingers twitching. Her body then relaxed, her eyes still wide open as her wings lost all colour. Other Optimi gasped at the sight when they saw Mira’s wings turn grey, the signal that shows the death of an Optimi. The shocked eyes slowly turned to Dan, who frowned and looked at his hands.  
“Oh dear…” Janet whispered shocked. Dan’s frown slowly turned into a viscous grin when he realised what he had done. He looked up at his mother and showed her the grin. Janet took a shocked step backwards, seeing her son shake his hands a few times before making them flat. She stood frozen and her voice trembled. “Dan, calm down now, okay?”  
“You killed him, you all killed him,” Dan said looking around with a deadly glare. “And now, I’m going to kill you.”  
“Dan, stop. This isn’t you,” Janet said, some Optimi whispering. “Dan, you just discovered a new power, you haven’t practiced with it yet. Be careful… Dan, it’s okay. Calm down.”  
“How… how can I be calm,” Dan stammered, his voice trembling as he shot a glance at Phil’s body in the grass. His blood painting the ground underneath him red. “You- you all killed him!”  
“Dan, it’s over now,” Janet said. “You killed my little sister, _your_ aunt! A family member!”  
“Shut up!” Dan screamed in response, letting his tears fall off his chin. “You killed Phil! _My_ Phil!”  
“You knew it would happen eventually!” Janet shouted back, bawling her fists. Dan pushed his hands against his ears and pulled at his hair, screaming frustrated and squeezing his eyes shut.  
“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Dan screamed shaking his head. He kept his eyes shut as he started cutting at the Optimi around him. “Murderers! Imporium! I hate you! Die! Die! Die!”  
Dan heard screams of agony and terror as he felt the adrenaline pump through him, encouraging to keep going. He panted heavily as he kept cutting around him, opening his eyes and glaring around him. A few of the Optimi were screaming and squirming on the ground, grasping at their arms, stomachs, throats or legs, some already dead. The others were floating in the sky, shouting directions at each other, but barely hearing or understanding. It was complete chaos and Dan was enjoying this a lot, still feeling the rage burn inside of him. He approached the coloured male Optimi on the ground, gasping for breath and spitting out blood, beautifully matching his wings. He was cut open in his stomach and chest.  
“ _Commodo_ …” he begged quietly, blood dripping from his body. “ _Adiuva me_ …”  
“Begging won’t help you,” Dan spat out and crouched next to, digging his fingers into wound with a grin. The Optimi gasped and squirmed in pain, squealing. Dan shushed him with his finger. “ _Morior…_ ” Dan whispered and slit his throat with his other finger, showing a sickening grin. The Optimi’s eyes widened as he felt the cold finger somehow cut through his skin, his body relaxing and his wings turning grey. Dan wiped his finger to his jeans and stood up, looking around. He stabbed towards one of the flying Optimi, hitting him square and deep in the thigh. He screamed and grasped at his leg, blood streaming out of the wound.  
“Fuck! He has _gladius homicidium_!” the Optimi shouted, hissing and he kept his hands pressed against the aching wound.  
“That’s impossible!” another one screamed back. Dan glared at them and clapped his wings, shooting towards the Optimi he had already cut. He threw a flat hand towards him, impaling him through his chest and feeling the flesh around him, making him scream and crash. His body landed with a soft ‘thump’, his wings immediately turning grey. Dan slowly descended and landed and wiped his arm on his shirt that was already covered in blood. He suddenly felt his energy drain as he came down from his adrenaline kick. He breathed heavily, looking up and seeing 3 Optimi circling above him, the rest of them on the ground. Some gasping and coughing or blowing out their last breaths, along with some corpses. Dan panted and fell on his knees next to Phil’s body, pulling him on his lap. He started screaming and crying into his chest.  
“ _Cur_!?” he screamed and pulled Phil closer against him, heavily crying. “Why!?”  
Dan pulled away from Phil and looked at him. He was so pale, even paler than usual. His beautiful, silky black hair fell messily over his forehead. His expression was calm, content. Dan sobbed between his heavy pants and gently stroked Phil’s hair.  
“Come on, Phil,” he whispered, smiling through his tears. “Wake up… we got to bring you back to your family… we have to get you back for the classes… We’ve got to make our maths homework, we’re behind…” Dan bit his lip and he watched his tears stain Phil’s bloody shirt. His finger gently traced his sharp jawline. “I love you, Phil… thank you for making me so happy… you told me that you were a loser, but let me tell you this, Phil… you where the sweetest, and the bravest-” Dan sobbed and sniffled his nose, smiling as he pushed Phil’s fringe from his eye “the bravest boy I have ever met… Just so-so you know that… I was… so alone, and I owe you so much...” Dan cried and leaned forward, gently pecking his soft, cold lips “You’re so beautiful, Phil… you’re still so beautiful… I love you… I love you so much, god, I love you I love you I love you…” Dan rambled, crying and cupping Phil’s cheek. He suddenly heard someone behind him.  
“What have you done, Dan?” Janet asked him as she looked around at the bodies around her. The field was covered in grey wings and blood. She shook her head and laid her hand on Dan’s shoulder, gently squeezing it. “It’s time to go.”  
“No,” Dan choked out, pulling Phil’s body against his chest. The other two Optimi stood behind him too, both taking one of Dan’s arms, pulling him away. Dan gasped and clawed and Phil’s shirt, holding onto him.  
“Let him go! He’s dead!” one of the Optimi growled annoyed, roughly pulling him away. “He’s just a dead body now! Useless!”  
“Phil!” Dan cried as his hands got brutally ripped away from his shirt, getting dragged through the grass. “No! Let go of me!” Dan screamed, fighting the strong grip with the last bits of energy, heavy panting, “Phil! _Commodo_!” Dan started coughing and wheezing, his tears streaming across his cheeks. “I love you…” he choked out before his vision faded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry


	30. Chapter 30

_7.5 years later_

 

Another lifeless day passed in Dan Howell’s life. Every day was just a repetition of the last. It had been over a seven years since _he_ died. Seven painfully horrible years. Seven years of pure torture. Dan couldn’t even think about him without falling on his knees and bawling his eyes out.

The first thing Dan had seen when he awoke from his forced sleep of exhaustion, was a room. A dark grey room with one bed and one small, white desk. He hadn’t seen this room before, he didn’t recognise it. He could also feel how he was wearing different clothes. His blood ridden shirt and jeans had disappeared and had somehow been replaced by a white shirt and trousers that were a bit too tight. The next day he learned that this room was not just any room.  
It was a cell. A prison cell.  
And his clothing was actually a uniform.  
He found out the next day when he woke up. He sat up in his bed and saw a sheet of paper on the desk. It had said that Daniel James Howell was sentenced to prison for 8 years, one for every Optimi he had killed and an extra one for a family member. He had been sent to a special Optimi prison that was far away from the human society with other Optimi ‘criminals’. After he read it, he let himself fall backwards onto his bed and curled up in a ball, praying. He prayed to all the Gods that they would bring _him_ back. And promised that he wouldn’t ever let him go again.  
The other Optimi had curiously watched Dan when he sauntered into the canteen for the first time. They had asked what he had done, why he was here and why he was so quiet. Dan had only answered it with a blank stare. After that, he decided not to leave his prison cell again.  
After that, everything kind of went downhill. Dan ate little to no food and drank little to no water or anything else. His physical state became critical and he looked like a walking skeleton. His uniform slowly became far too wide for him, his scrawny shoulders and hipbones clearly visible.  
But Dan didn’t care.  
All he did was standing by the window in his prison cell, watching the grass in the fields move because of the slight breeze. He hadn’t said a word since the moment he woke up, and wasn’t planning on doing so.   
Once a year, Dan was forced out of his prison cell. It was a rule that only applied to him, as the others would leave their cell every day. Dan’s hair would be cut and he had to eat in the canteen with the others. He hated that day, the day where all the others would start drowning him in questions. Many conspiracy theories had been made about what he had done, or why he didn’t talk. They had all watched Dan in shock as he walked into the canteen after 2 years of prison. They all knew that Dan wasn’t doing very well but were all very shocked when Dan’s wings had lost all colour. The bright blue and purple shades had been replaced with grey, dull feathers. Not a single speck of the beautiful gradient. That’s when the conspiracy started that Dan had killed himself and already was dead. They said that only his restless soul was still here. But that was more of a ghost story to scare the new guys.  
Dan couldn’t care less that he looked like a walking corpse. _He_ wasn’t here anymore which meant he had no one to look good for. Dan cursed himself for not being able to starve himself, he just wanted to be with _him_ again. Why wouldn’t they let him?  
But today wouldn’t be like yesterday.  
Or the day before.  
Many would say that was because it was his birthday, but Dan didn’t give a shit about that. He didn’t care that he would turn 24, it’s not a special age. But today would be different because of another reason. It was his release date. He was originally supposed to stay for half a year, but because of good behaviour, he was allowed to leave early.  
Dan stood by the window, staring at the dull grey sky. He sighed. He was allowed to leave today. But he wasn’t going home. He was going to his old house, not his home. Dan found ‘home’ such a weird concept. He has a house filled with stuff. But that didn’t feel like home. _He_ felt like home. Dan bit his lip, forcing the thoughts about _him_ from his head. He couldn’t deal with them. He had to run from them.  
That’s what he had been doing the past 7 years, and he wasn’t planning on stopping anytime soon. He knew that he had to find a way to deal with _his_ death, but he hadn’t found one yet. So he was planning on running away from everything that reminded him of _him_.  
His cell door opened at around noon, as expected, and a guard walked in. He stood in the door opening for a few seconds, and examined Dan. He was standing by the window, again. His grey wings drooped down, touching the floor. His hair was ruffled and messy, but the guard knew that it would’ve been very long if they didn’t cut it every year. The guard only saw a small part of Dan’s face, but he could guess by seeing him once a year, that the dark circles underneath his eyes hadn’t faded. Dan’s shoulder were sharp and skinny, like his legs. The guard took a step towards the desk.  
“Good morning, your mum brought you this for your birthday,” the guard sighed and placed something on the desk. Dan didn’t have to look around to know it was another one of her cakes. She had made one every year, even putting some candles on top. “She’s waiting for you down stairs, so… I’ll leave you alone now to… to say goodbye to… stuff. And I’ll be picking you up in a few.”  
The guard awkwardly left and Dan sighed, turning around. He saw what he expected. A brown chocolate cake, with some candles on it. The first time Dan had received one of these, he considered burning himself. But the candles weren’t lit with fire that could do any harm. Dan shuffled towards the desk and grabbed the note that was lying next to it.

_Make a wish, darling_

Just like it said every other year. Dan lifted the cake up and pushed his finger into the little ignited candles, feeling nothing. He sighed, knowing it was fake fire. Dan closed his eyes.  
“Please,” he whispered, “Please, oh mighty Gods of the Olympus. Please, bring _him_ back to me, and I promise I won’t let him go again. Ever.”  
Dan blew out the candles as a tear forced itself through his closed eyelid. He then walked towards his cell door, still holding the cake, and knocking on it. The guard that was waiting for him quickly opened. He was just in time to dodge the cake that Dan threw out of the cell, just like he did last year. And the year before. He didn’t want to eat something that was made by his mother. His mother who tried to murder _him_ and was happy when it happened. Dan walked back to the window, and stared out of it. But this time, the door didn’t close behind him with a few annoyed sighs, like every other year. This time, the guard walked in and started talking.  
“Daniel, today is your release date. And I was just… _we_ were just wondering that maybe, just maybe because we will probably never meet again, you want to tell us your story,” the guard stuttered awkwardly, trying to sound stern and brave but failing miserably. Dan didn’t respond, staring blankly into nothing. He might have been quiet on the outside, but it was different for him in his head. The thoughts were racing and voices were screaming. His story. The guard wanted him to tell him his story. He was right, they would probably never meet again. But if Dan had to tell his story, he had to mention _him_ and his name. Because it wasn’t just his story. It was _theirs_.  
A few moments of silence and the guard bit his lip, disappointed.  
“It’s okay, do you want to go-” the guard gave up, but was interrupted by Dan who opened his mouth.  
“His name was Phil,” he said. His voice was hoarse and rough, as it had been used for nothing but crying the past 7 years. The guard gasped as he heard Dan Howell talk for the first time. Tears were already present in Dan’s eyes as the first image of the boy who he loved shot through his mind. It was where he and Phil talked about their interests in their dorm for the first time. Phil was looking at him with a goofy smile and his raven black hair was slightly messy. He was so beautiful.  
Then the second image of the boy. The last time he had seen him alive. A bead of blood had dripped from the corner of his mouth. An arrow had been shot straight through his chest, he must’ve been in so much pain. But there he was, smiling at Dan. Reliving some of his favourite moments with him, for him.  
And then the last. A relaxed body in the grass. Dan watched himself in third person scream and grasp at him as he got brutally pulled away.  
Dan gulped and slowly turned around.   
The guard gasped again at the sight of the corpse that was once known as Dan Howell.  
The dark circles underneath his eyes had turned darker. The feathers of his wings were rough and grey, only taken care of once a year. Dan was scrawny and his eyes weren’t the pretty brown they used to be. Now they were just dull and flat.  
“And he… he was the m-most beautiful boy I h-have ever seen,” Dan choked out, the tears already dripping from his eyes. He ran towards his bed and jumped into it, his wings surrounding him completely and pressed his hands against his eyes. He started bawling his eyes out, shoulders shaking. The guard widened his eyes and took place next to him, seeing some other guards gather in front of the cell, all very surprised to see Dan moving. The guard awkwardly placed a hand on Dan’s back, rubbing it lightly.  
“Good, let it all out,” he praised. Dan looked up with his bloodshot eyes. “Tell me more about him, what was he like.”  
“He… he was pale,” Dan started, sniffling his nose. “And he had beautiful bright blue eyes with black hair…” the guard nodded with a small smile as he watched Dan getting more comfortable. A small smile danced on his lips as the happy thoughts about Phil crowded his mind. “He was really sweet, loving and caring. And I loved him. I love him.”  
“And were is Phil now?” the guard asked, seeing Dan’s smile fade.  
“He’s gone, I let him go,” Dan whispered. “It’s all my fault. I should’ve protected him, I shouldn’t have let him go! Why did I let him go!?” Dan’s breath became more and more erratic and he sobbed loudly. He placed his palms against his eyes again. “Why didn’t I pay more attention! It’s all my fault! Why!? Tell me, why!? Why did the universe take away such a beautiful boy full of dreams!?”  
“Because… this world is wrong,” the guard sighed and rubbed Dan’s back. “But it’s very good that you’re letting it all out. Seven years. It’s been seven years that you’ve been holding it in. And that killed you. Look at you! Your heart is beating but your wings are grey, that never happened before.”  
“I don’t care!” Dan growled. “I wish I was dead! Then I would be with Phil!”  
“Tell me, Dan, how did he die?” the guard asked, squinting his eyes and tilting his head.  
“He was murdered,” Dan responded cold and wiped his tears off his cheeks. “They took him away from me. Nobody touches _my_ Phil. So I killed the ones who did. And that’s why I’m here. For killing 7 Optimi, and I got an extra year because one of them was my aunt.”  
“Jesus…” the guard gasped. “Why did they murder him, Dan?”  
“Because… this world is wrong,” Dan sobbed quietly, repeating the phrase the guard had said before and sniffled his nose again. “And I wasn’t allowed to be with him. Because we were different.”  
“I don’t know what you mean by that,” the guard said sceptically. “Can you explain it for me?”  
“Phil… Phil was human,” Dan said quietly, hearing the guard gasp along with the other’s in the doorway. “And I know it was wrong, but he was just so perfect.”  
“Did you… did he… did he know about our existence?” the guard asked shocked. Dan nodded in shame.  
“He found out when he caught me with my wings out,” Dan said, leaving out the part about how that happened. “And I didn’t tell him anything about us, and he still wanted to be with me. He didn’t know what I was, or my intentions. And he still wanted me. I couldn’t erase his memory, I just couldn’t do that. He was special. And I knew it was wrong, but I soon told him everything! I’m sorry… but I… I couldn’t help myself…” Dan sobbed quietly. “And now, Phil is dead. And it’s all my fault, I did this…”  
“I disagree,” the guard said frowning. “The way you talk about Phil seems like true love, and you did what was right.”  
“You really think so?” Dan asked quietly, looking at the guard. Dan squinted his eyes, and noticed he had bright blue eyes like Phil had. The guard nodded smiling. “You have pretty eyes.”  
“Uh, thanks,” the guard grinned surprised. Dan tilted his head.  
“They look like Phil’s,” he sighed and looked down. “He had such beautiful blue eyes. So bright and full of life… why did they have to take those away from me…?”  
“I’m sorry that that happened to you,” the guard sighed and gave Dan a quick hug. “You ready to go now?”  
“I guess,” Dan said quietly and shrugged. He and the guard both stood up. Dan rolled his shoulders and gave the guard a tiny smile. “Thanks… for cheering me up a bit.”  
“You’re welcome, always happy to brighten up someone’s day,” the guard smiled and slapped Dan’s shoulder. Dan flinched and frowned at the guard, rubbing his shoulder with his hand. “Oh, sorry.”  
The two trotted down some stairs, Dan already heavy panting after one flight. He didn’t exercise for 7 years, what did he expect? Dan groaned as the guard guided him into a room, seeing his mother and Adrian. Dan’s eyes widened. Adrian looked really different. He had grown a fuck lot and his brown hair became curlier. His brown eyes were bright brown, like his used to be. His mother still looked exactly the same.  
Dan’s mum and Adrian both gasped at the sight of Dan. Adrian took a step back with his hand covering his mouth.  
“Jesus, Dan,” he breathed out. “Your wings…”  
Dan looked at the ground, embarrassed. Dan’s mum quickly approached him, cooing at him as she tried to hug him. Dan took a few steps back and glared at her.  
“What makes you think I’m okay with this?” he growled and bawled his fists. His mum bit her bottom lip. She gently took Dan by his shoulders, squeezing them slightly.  
“Dan, I’m sorry,” she said honest, making Dan frown surprised. “It was a bad thing to do. I’m your mother, and all I should want is you to be happy. And I ruined that for you. And I’m so sorry about what we did to Phil. He was a very nice and polite boy and this was wrong.”  
“…,” Dan didn’t know what to say. He was too stunned to talk. Did his mum just _apologise_? Dan stared at her for a few seconds with wide eyes, still very surprised. After a while he opened his mouth, searching for words. “T-thanks for your apology…” he slowly turned to Adrian and was able to crack a small smile, his chapped lips splitting. “Ade, you’re so grown up all of a sudden.”  
Adrian shrugged awkwardly with a smile.  
“Let’s all just go home.”

The car slowly stopped in front of their house after a car ride in almost complete silence.  
“Thanks for setting me up with Gabriela,” Adrian had said during the ride with a small smile. Dan didn’t respond. “We are getting married.” Dan now widened his eyes in shock, but still keeping his gaze on the window. _Married!? You’re fucking 21 years old! That’s way too young!_ , Dan exclaimed in his head. “We’ve been engaged for a year, but she insisted on having you there too as it was you who set us up.”  
“It wasn’t just me,” Dan suddenly said, feeling Adrian’s eyes burn in the back of his skull. Dan clearly remembered how Phil helped him in persuading Adrian.  
“Well… I thought… as Phil can’t be there… because… you know,” Adrian stuttered awkwardly.  
“I know,” Dan responded through gritted teeth. The rest of the ride was quiet. Dan didn’t want to say anything or catch up. He always hated chitchat, especially after what happened. Just because his mum apologised didn’t make it okay. They would never really understand.  
Dan looked out of the car window, looking at his house and noticing it hadn’t changed one bit. He bit his lip. The last time he was here, it was with _him_. Adrian hopped out of the car and quickly trotted towards Dan’s door, opening it for him. Dan stepped out, his hands digging in his pockets as he walked towards the front door, gaze fixed on the ground. His mum opened the front door with a beaming face. Dan stepped in and looked around with an eyebrow raised. In front, and above, of him were loads of decorations. Balloons in all colours, confetti and a big banner saying _WELCOME HOME_. Dan slowly followed his mother into the living room, feeling slightly uncomfortable. She pointed at the table. Dan suspiciously inched towards it, noticing a little white package.  
“It’s for you,” Dan’s mum said quietly and smiled. “I think you’ll like it.”  
“Um… thanks,” Dan said sceptically, not knowing what to expect. “What is it?”  
“You must see for yourself, silly,” Dan’s mum said smiling and bit her bottom lip. “It’s my way of saying ‘sorry’.”  
Dan narrowed his eyes and grabbed the package with his thin fingers. He slowly tugged the sticky tape off and opened it. He stuck his hand in, feeling a soft fabric. He expected some cool band-shirt he had been whining about and slowly pulled it out.  
Dan’s breath hitched.  
“Oh my…” he gasped quietly, tears springing in his eyes and he covered his mouth with one of his hands. In his remaining hand, he was holding a dark purple shirt he know way too good and immediately recognised it.  
It was Phil’s Gengar shirt.  
Dan’s hands started shaking as he stared at it in shock, the tears blurring his view. His mum laid a hand on his shoulder.  
“They were destroying all his stuff, I managed to safe this for you,” she said quietly. She snaked her hands around his waist and gently hugging her trembling son from behind. “I love you and I’m sorry.”  
“I… I…” Dan choked out, his hands still shaking. He let the tears flow free and hugged the shirt, inhaling it. He knew it had been seven years, but he still hoped for maybe a little whiff of Phil’s scent. He tried not to be too disappointed when the shirt smelt dull, like nothing at all. “Thanks, mum…”  
“It’s okay,” she whispered and pecked Dan’s cheek.  
“I’m going upstairs, I want to be alone for a few,” Dan’s said with a trembling voice, trying to sound as normal as possible, feeling his mum’s grip loosen. He slowly walked towards the stairs and climbed them with shaking legs. He walked unstably through the hallway and pushed his door open, closing it behind him. Dan let himself fall face-first onto the bed and buried his face into the cloth, bawling his eyes out. He prayed, again, to the gods to bring Phil back.  
He knew it was for nothing.  
Phil was gone, and he was not coming back.


	31. Chapter 31

“Okay! That’s it! I’m done!” Aphrodite’s voice bounced off the marble walls, echoing through the room. She threw her Ipad next to her on the soft sofa, making it bounce and accidentally hitting Ares with it on his leg. He looked up from his phone, mildly annoyed.  
“What is it now?” he sighed with an eye-roll, focusing back on the device and scrolled down a bit. Aphrodite shot him a quick glare.  
“You know that love story I’ve been following for a while?” Aphrodite sighed and folded her arms, biting her bottom lip. Ares didn’t bother looking up.  
“Which one?” he asked, not even remotely interested. Aphrodite pouted at him.  
“Can you please just _pretend_ that you care? I’ll be right back with Hephaestus if you keep acting like this,” she whined and threw one of the fluffy cushions at him. Ares rolled his eyes and raised his eyebrows at her.  
“No, you won’t,” Ares grinned and scooted over to her. He gently pressed his lips against her neck, making her gasp. “You’re way too pretty for him.”  
“That won’t stop me from dumping _you_ , though,” Aphrodite grinned. Ares pulled away with a pout.  
“Tell me about the love story, baby,” he sighed and smiled briefly. Aphrodite propped up on her knees, bopping up and down, excited to tell him.  
“I told you before, the one with the two boys!” she exclaimed smiling. “The Optimi and the human! I’ve been following it since the beginning.”  
“Oh, you mean Zeus’ experiment of setting up 2 boys who are also of different species?” Ares asked, now actually interested. “Baby, all the Gods of Olympus know about them. Zeus chose that human because he might bring peace between the humans and the Optimi. Because he was so sweet and strong. I can feel the bravery in him. How are they?”  
“The human got murdered by the Optimi, that was ages ago!” Aphrodite exclaimed and shook her head. “That was seven years ago and the Optimi boy is more dead than alive. It’s rather sad.”  
“Tch, only seven years. That’s like a blink in an Optimi’s life,” Ares sighed and rolled his eyes. “If he’s already more dead than alive, I wonder what he’s like in a few hundred years.”  
“Actually shut up, he loves that human!” Aphrodite hissed. “They were so beautiful together…”  
“Yeah, and then he got murdered. Long story short: an experiment gone wrong,” Ares sighed and looked back down at his phone. “Hey, I’ve got a new follower.”  
“Ares! Just listen to me!” Aphrodite spat out at him. She grasped at his phone and smacked it from his hand, glaring at him with an angry pout. Ares looked up with a frown and his mouth hanging open, seeming offended. “This Optimi boy has been praying every day for 7 years to me and all the other Gods. Even _you_ , who probably doesn’t give a single shit! And you know what? I can’t take this anymore! I have to fix this. It’s my job. The bond between these boys was so strong, I haven’t seen this in such a long time. I have to bring them back together.”  
“Excuse me?” Ares asked, sitting up and raising an eyebrow. “How were you going to do that?”  
“I’ll just ask Hades,” Aphrodite shrugs and stood up, brushing some invisible dust off her white and pink clothes. She fidgeted with her hair, rearranging her flower crown with pink roses. “I’m going to the Underworld now to pay him a visit, see you in a few.”  
“No way!” Ares exclaimed, leaping from the sofa and snatching her wrist. “That’s way too dangerous! All those monsters and stuff!”  
“I have to do this, Ares,” Aphrodite said stern, pulling her arm back and making her way to the door. Ares trotted behind her.  
“Let me at least come with you!” he exclaimed, catching up with her.  
“ _I_ have to do this,” she repeated herself, accenting the ‘I’ and kept power-walking, leaving the building. “By myself. Don’t follow me, I’ll be fine. Don’t try to change my mind, you won’t be able to. I have to bring those boys back together. It’s my duty as the goddess of love.”  
“Jesus, Aphrodite!” Ares exclaimed as he slowly stopped.  
“Who’s Jesus?” Aphrodite asked frowning, her lover shrugged.  
“I heard he’s our competition, loads of people believe in him now,” he said pouting. “He can walk on water, though, I heard. That’s pretty cool, I guess. But yeah, if you want to go so badly: good luck then, I guess. But please, watch out.”  
“I will,” Aphrodite promised and waved quickly. She walked through the garden, hearing the nymphs that take care of here flowers gasp. They all bowed as she walked passed. Aphrodite grinned, loving the attention as always, and gave them a quick nod. 

Soon she approached the Styx river. The river always gave her an unsettling feeling. Not only because Styx literally means ‘hate and despise, especially towards humans’, but also because instead of water, it was filled with lost hopes and dreams. A little wooden boat was bouncing up and down on the river filled with despair. In the boat, there was a man in a black robe. He leant on one of his paddles as he scrolled on his phone. Aphrodite frowned and looked around. There was nobody else, no souls that were about to cross the river. It used to be crowded. She slowly approached the man and greeted him with a warm smile.  
“Hey, Charon,” she said and waved. Charon looked up and nodded at her, turning his attention back on his phone with a sigh. Aphrodite gulped when she briefly saw Charon’s face. So deformed and just not beautiful. But he couldn’t help that his parents were siblings. She pushed her disgusted feelings aside and bit her lip. “What you doing?”  
“Not much,” Charon said and tilted his head. Aphrodite frowned and dug her hand in her pocket, feeling a few golden drachmas to pay him later.  
“Why are there no souls who have to cross?” she asked, looking around, still spotting no one. “I thought that you were always busy.”  
“The creatures on earth don’t believe in us anymore, Aphe,” Charon sighed and shook his head. He grinned and typed something, sending it. “I’m just bored all the time. No who wants to cross. So I’m just texting my brother Thanatos. He’s telling me to follow his blog, but it’s just filled with depressing stuff. Loads of humans follow him and kill themselves after seeing it. I tell him he needs to stop, but he says it’s okay because he’s the god of death. So stupid. It’s really fun texting him though, but he’s barely ever online, he has to pick people up all the time. It’s so annoying.”  
“Why not text your other brother then?” Aphrodite asked with a frown. Charon looked up with an eyebrow raised.  
“You mean Hypnos?” Charon asked grinning and shook his head. “The god of sleep? You really think he’s up? Wait, lemme check…” Charon clicked some things on his phone as Aphrodite awkwardly shifted on her feet. She wasn’t looking for an entire conversation, she just wanted to cross. Charon frowned and nodded. “Yeah, no. His last Tweet was a few days ago, saying he was going to sleep. I’ll text him next week to ask if he’s already up… I can also just ask Thanatos, they’re almost always together. Or Morpheus, he can just show up in one of Hypnos’ stupid dreams.”  
“Smart. But I’m here for a reason-” Aphrodite started, but Charon grinned and interrupted her.  
“Wait, wait!” he exclaimed, chuckling a bit. “I just thought of the funniest joke ever! Wait, let me Tweet it for a sec…” Charon narrowed his eyes, his thumbs quickly tapping the screen. He bit his lip and grinned, hitting the blue button seeing ‘Tweet’. He glanced at Aphrodite. “Listen, listen. Why did Adele cross the Styx?”  
“Uhm, I actually don’t really have time for this. I just want to cross-” Aphrodite started again, just wanting to goddamn cross this hateful river and fix love.  
“Because she wanted to say ‘Hello’ from the other side!” Charon exclaimed and threw his head back, laughing loudly. Aphrodite sighed and slowly shook her head.  
“That… that was horrible,” Aphrodite decided, making Charon pout.  
“Why are you here, actually?” he asked and Aphrodite sighed relieved and roll her eyes.  
“I already tried to tell you two times! I have to go see Hades,” she said stern and took half of the golden drachmas from her pocket, showing them to Charon. “I hope this is enough to get to the other side.”  
“Are you going to say hello there too?” Charon asked grinning, receiving a glare from the goddess who became mildly annoyed. “Wow, sorry ma’am! Time of the month?”  
“Charon, you better shut your goddamn mouth,” Aphrodite growled. “I have a perfectly fine reason to be annoyed right now, and to blame it on that is so fucking childish!”  
“So the answer is ‘yes’?” Charon asked mocking. Aphrodite stumped towards him, her fists bawled. “I’m kidding! I’m kidding! Jesus!”  
“Why is everyone suddenly talking about this ‘Jesus’ guy?” Aphrodite exclaimed annoyed. “I just want to cross this goddamn river and make a deal with Hades to fix love! Because that’s, after all, what I’m here for!”  
“What kind of deal?” Charon asked curiously. Aphrodite grunted annoyed.  
“Just let me cross!” she exclaimed, not waiting for a respond and hopping into the boat. Charon shot her an offended look. Aphrodite pushed the drachmas in his hands and signalled him to go. Charon reluctantly took the drachmas and put them in his pocket, grabbing his paddle. They slowly started moving.  
“So you’re going to see Hades?” Charon asked, nodding slowly. Aphrodite gave him a quick ‘yep’ and looked around as they slowly sailed towards the Underworld. “And how are you planning on getting past Cerberus. That giant three-headed hound will kill you. He won’t let you pass.”  
“Charon, please,” Aphrodite sighed and slowly shook her head. “He’ll let me pass, trust me. Cerberus just wants a little bit attention. He wants to be understood.”  
“It’s a dog,” Charon reminded her with a frown, paddling their way through the dark substance beneath them. “Hades’ hell-hound with snakes coming out of its body and a serpent for a tail.”  
“Dogs have feelings,” Aphrodite shrugged, looking around. They left their previous world and slowly entered the Underworld. The stench of burning brimstone and smoke filled her nostrils and she grimaced.  
“Whatever, good luck with that,” Charon grinned and sighed, looking down at the black river of despair. “Look at that. All those lost hopes and dreams that never got fulfilled… isn’t it lovely?”  
“Err… sure,” Aphrodite slowly said with an eyebrow raised.  
“And what are you asking Hades?” Charon asked curiously, now actually wanting to know.  
“Not much, just a soul,” Aphrodite shrugged looking around. Charon laughed loudly.  
“Yeah, right,” he grinned and shook his head. “I’m serious, what are you doing here.”  
“I _am_ serious, I need a soul to return it to the human world!” Aphrodite said defensive. “A boy has been praying for 7 years, the bond between the two was so strong. I have to get them back together. I can’t just ignore the fact that I can fix true love!”  
“Oh my gods, you’re serious,” Charon sighed, shaking his head. “Well, good luck with that. We’re here.”  
The boat suddenly hit a black sanded coast that Aphrodite hasn’t seen before. It just sort of appeared. She doubtfully got off and looked around.  
“Should I wait?” Charon asked and tilted his head to the side. Aphrodite nodded and started walking towards a gate. “Oh, and tell Hades I want a raise!”  
She grunted annoyed and ignored Charon as the black sand found their way into her shoes, rubbing against her feet. She kicked around a bit, cursing quietly in Greek, but it didn’t help at all so she gave up and just kept walking.  
“What is that?” a whispering voice from above asked.  
“I don’t know? Is it a soul? Are we supposed to judge it?” another one answered.  
“I don’t know guys, do we still know how to judge? It’s been a while, man,” a third asked. Aphrodite looked around, not seeing anything else than thick, black nothingness. She took a few steps forward.  
“Shit, what do we do?” the first voice whisper-shouted.  
“I don’t know man, Hades will be pissed if we do nothing!” the second one responded.  
“Wait, I’ve got this,” the third voice said and cleared his throat. “Stop right there!”  
Aphrodite stopped and looked up, still seeing nothing.  
“And what now?” the second voice asked, slightly panicked.  
“Oh Gods, Hades will send us to Tartarus!” the first voice exclaimed quietly.  
“Shut up, let me fix this for us,” the third voice whisper-shouted annoyed. He cleared his throat again.  
“Minos, I think Aeacus has a sore throat,” the second voice said quietly.  
“Rhadamanthys, give him some gumdrops,” the first voice said, apparently called Minos.  
“Oh nice, gumdrops,” Aeacus whispered. “Thanks, Rhadamanthys. You’re rad.”  
“That’s why my name starts with ‘rad’,” Rhadamanthys responded, chuckling. Aphrodite raised an eyebrow. What the hell is this. “But, let’s judge. Hades will get angry otherwise.”  
“Okay, let me take the lead,” Aeacus said and raised his voice. “I, Aeacus: the first judge to vote, guardian of the keys of the Underworld and judge of European men, welcome you to the Underworld.”  
“Nice one, bro,” Minos said. “Fist bump.”  
“Me now?” Rhadamanthys asked, receiving a little ‘ye’ from the others. “Okay, err. I, Rhadamanthys: second judge to vote, lord of Elysium and judge of the Asian men, welcome you to the Underworld too.”  
“Did you just copy me?” Aeacus asked, but before he could respond, Minos interfered.  
“I, Minos: …” it was silent for a few seconds. “I’m the final one to vote and nothing special further. Welcome, I guess.”  
“Hey, don’t talk yourself down like that, man,” Aeacus told him. “You’re pretty cool.”  
“Hey, can we just cut the chitchat? I have to talk to Hades real quick,” Aphrodite shouted and looked up, waving. “Don’t you recognise me? Wherever you are? I’m Aphrodite! Goddess of beauty, love and sexuality!”   
“Oh shit, a goddess,” Minos whispered. “What the hell do we do now? DM Hades on Twitter, maybe he’ll respond.”  
“I lost my phone in Tartarus last week,” Aeacus sighed. “No way I’m going back down there in that hellhole, man.”  
“Stay calm, she won’t get passed Cerberus anyway,” Rhadamanthys responded, sucking on the gumdrops and looked down at the goddess. “Have fun! Oh, and give some us some credit when Hades asks how you came here.”  
“Sure,” Aphrodite sighed and kept walking, leaving the 3 judges behind. She eventually saw a big shadow, partly hid behind thick, black mist. She slowly approached it, slightly bending her knees. The shadow growled and Aphrodite gulped in response. “H-hello?”  
She kept walking and the mist slowly disappeared. In front and above her stood an absolutely humongous hound with three heads. The dark eyes of the beast glared at the goddess who was nailed to the ground. Saliva dribbled from its mouth as it slowly approached her.  
“H-hi, Cerberus,” Aphrodite stammered, her voice trembling with fear. Cerberus’ middle head leant forward and sniffed the shaking goddess. “H-hey, boy… can you let me pass? C-come on, be a good doggie… please…”  
The hound growled low and showed its teeth. Aphrodite’s eyes widened and she backed away. Cerberus slowly came closer to her, all the heads growling and Aphrodite wanted to run away, screaming.  
“Cerberus! Down boy!” a sudden deep voice erupted from behind the beast. Cerberus’ eyes widened and he immediately sank down to lay on its stomach. It kept glaring at Aphrodite as she slowly walked passed. Her eyes glided around the space behind Cerberus, but she couldn’t find the person whom the voice belonged to. There was no one behind the gigantic dog, just a big black gate. Aphrodite narrowed her eyes and slowly inched towards it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter left guyss  
> or two idk


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chap  
> I'M EMOTIONAL

Aphrodite couldn’t see anything behind the gate. Literally nothing. Just a thick black pit. Aphrodite hesitantly inched towards it and frowned, reaching her hand through the gate. She gasped as it disappeared and immediately pulled it back, letting it appear again. She repeated the motion a few times with a tilted and then slowly stepped through it, gasping with wide eyes. The exact moment she set foot on the other side, an entire world appeared in front of her. She looked back over her shoulder and saw that everything behind her had disappeared now.  
“Weird…” Aphrodite said quietly with narrowed eyes, and took a few steps forward. The path in front of her was split into three directions. Right in front of her was a country-like road, Aphrodite took a few steps towards it to take closer look. She saw a gigantic field stretched out in front of her with tall, yellow grass and wheats. She noticed that there were loads of people too. Thousands, maybe millions. Everywhere she looked stood people. But they weren’t walking around or talking with one another. They just stood there. Staring. A wooden board on the side of the road said _‘Asphodel Fields, for the ordinary’_.  
Aphrodite nodded slowly and looked at her right, seeing a white floating board. With big, baby blue, celestial letters, it said: _‘Elysium, for the heroes’_. Aphrodite walked towards it with a smile. She couldn’t exactly see what was happening, but it looked like some sort of district filled with beautiful and huge houses. A lake stretched out behind the gate. Laughter was coming from it, and all the colours looked pretty and pastel.  
Aphrodite had to tear her eyes away from the beautiful place to check out the last section of the three. She slowly inched towards it, her eyes narrowed. A dark coloured board was pressed into the muddy earth. The crooked board had blood red letters smeared on it. _’Tartarus, for the wicked’_ it said. A shiver ran down Aphrodite’s spine as she slowly came closer. There was a hole into the ground, a staircase going down. Aphrodite kept nearing the stairs, feeling attracted to the dark looking place. As she came closer, she started hearing screams of terror and pure agony echoing from down the stairs. The stairs occasionally lit up, drawing shadows and yellow and dark orange colours on the walls. She slowly got pulled towards it, like a moth towards a light source. She came closer and closer, she was about to set foot down to the staircase and-  
“What the Underworld do you think you’re doing, sweetheart?” a deep voice from behind said. Aphrodite immediately recognised it as the same voice who stopped Cerberus from having her as a snack. She slowly turned around and only a few inches away from her stood a tall man. He was slightly tanned and had pitch black hair and eyes. He was wearing a black jacket with matching jeans, as well as a gigantic smirk plastered onto his face.  
“Nothing,” Aphrodite said after clearing her throat and straightening her clothes. “But I was looking for you, Hades.”  
“Oh, darling,” he sighed and ran his coal ridden hands through Aphrodite’s hair, making her swat his hand away. “You thought I was in Tartarus? Why would I be there?”  
“I didn’t think that,” Aphrodite said with one raised eyebrow, trying to sound tough. “We have to talk.”  
“Sure,” Hades said and grinned. Suddenly, they stood in a room. Aphrodite flinched and looked around. The walls were black, there was a white counter with some sort of coffee-making device on it. There were also some white cabinets and no doors. Zero doors nor windows. Hades turned around, towards the counter and turned on the device.  
“What do you want?” he asked and opened one of the cabinets, getting some mugs out.  
“A soul,” Aphrodite said, shifting on her feet and gave Hades a nod. He turned around with the mugs in his hand and a frown.  
“I meant as a drink,” he said and grinned. “Is a Caramel Macchiato good?”  
“Err, sure…” Aphrodite said slowly and lifted her chin up, trying to look confident. “But I _do_ want a soul.”  
“Honey, I know,” Hades said, opening another cabinet and getting two cups out with a Starbucks logo on the front. “I was expecting you.”  
“How could you possibly know? Who told you?” Aphrodite asked frowning. Hades turned around with a smirk and handed her one of the cups. She took it with an eyebrow raised. Why would he grab two mugs when he already had the drinks prepared? Aphrodite decided not to question it. She looked down at the cup, it wasn’t made out of carton like she expected it to. It was from stone or glass or something.  
“Nobody told me,” Hades said and sipped from his mug. “Nobody has to tell me such things. I just see it.”  
“Please, cut the bullshit,” Aphrodite said rolling her eyes, knowing Hades was a smart and cocky God. “You had no idea until I said what I wanted.”  
“Sweetheart,” Hades sighed and shook his head. He looked at her with a cocky glint in his eyes. “I know you’re coming for a soul. A soul that’s been here for a while, otherwise you wouldn’t be so straight forward. I mean, I’m grabbing a drink and you immediately mention you want it? It’s obvious you want it quick, or it’ll be too late.” Hades ranted, his voice monotonous. He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “But why this soul? Why this particular soul? Well, the obvious conclusion would be that it’s a very strong or important one. Which means Zeus, my ‘lovely brother’, has something to do with it.” Hades rolled his eyes and smirked at Aphrodite. “Then you, Aphrodite ‘god of love’ etc., show up, claiming you’re here for a soul. Which means it has something to do with love. So I concluded that if it has something to do with Zeus and love, that means that it must’ve been Zeus’ experiment from years ago, as he doesn’t know shit about love. Don’t worry, it’s a family treat. Of course I’m talking about the experiment where Zeus set a human and an Optimi up. I obviously remember that experiment of Phil Lester and Dan Howell, it was on all of those silly blogs of yours. Phil Lester, however, tragically died seven years ago and since then, the poor little Daniel has been crying and praying to all of us.  
See the connection? Goddess of love, Zeus’ experiment, Daniel’s cries for his ‘lover’.  
I wasn’t only expecting you, Aphrodite. I was waiting for you.”  
“...Show off,” Aphrodite mumbled. She knew Hades was a king in observing things. He occasionally just ‘knew’ stuff, nobody told him anything. Mainly because nobody was really friends with the God as he was slightly terrifying, but also because he was kinda rude and didn’t understand how feelings worked. “So…?”  
“What?” Hades asked frowning, taking another sip from his coffee to hide his content grin.  
“So can I have the soul?” Aphrodite asked. Hades might have been incredibly smart and observant but it still surprises Aphrodite how ignorant he can be sometimes. She hesitantly brought the cup to her lips and took a sip. It tasted normal.  
“Oh… sure, but I’m not helping you,” Hades shrugged, finishing his coffee. He dropped the mug, but before it was about to smash on the ground, a hole in the ground appeared. It swallowed the mug and disappeared again. “I’m surprised you even got here in one piece.”  
“Oh, yeah. About that,” Aphrodite started, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Credits to Minos Aeacus and Radhamanthys for helping me. Even though they didn’t really help me. Also Charon helped me a bit. And I think they’re all eager about a raise.”  
“Whatever, those guys aren’t really needed anymore,” Hades said disinterested. “Go find your soul. Good luck, as it’ll probably take a few weeks. I’ve got more important things to do. I have to go find the furies-”  
“A few weeks!?” Aphrodite exclaimed shocked and shook her head, not looking at Hades’ offended expression as he got interrupted. “Dan can’t be home for a few weeks without Phil! He’ll kill himself for sure!”  
“Well, that’s a typical case of not my problem. I’ll happily guide him through the Underworld when he gets here. He can’t be with Phil though. He’s not a hero, he didn’t sacrifice himself for someone else. Suicides aren’t allowed in Elysium,” Hades said with a grin. His grin faded when he realised he just accidentally told Aphrodite in which part of the Underworld Phil was.  
“So Phil’s in Elysium? Thank you for your help, Hades. I’m off,” she exclaimed and grinned triumphantly. She quickly finished her coffee and dropped it on the floor, expecting a hole to appear like it had before with Hades. The mug met the tiled floor and smashed in a few thousand pieces, some leftover coffee splattered across the floor too.  
“Aphrodite! Why would you do that!?” Hades exclaimed and fell on his knees, a cloth appeared in his hand. He started to furiously wipe the floor. “Look at the mess you’ve made! Oh my mighty gods on fricking tricycles!”  
“Oh, I’m so sorry! I just- you- your mug- I didn’t-! Sorry!” Aphrodite stuttered and kneeled down next to Hades, wanting to help. “Let me just-”  
“No! Don’t touch!” Hades growled, a mixture between angry and annoyed, still wiping the floor and briefly glared at her. “You’ve done enough here. Good luck finding the stupid soul. I’m not helping you out this time when Cerberus attacks you.”  
“I’m so sorry, I really mean i-” Aphrodite exclaimed, but before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly was kneeling in front of the three gates again. She huffed and stood up, dusting off her knees and feeling mildly offended. She didn’t mean to make Hades so upset. She didn’t know he had some sort of hosophobia, but seeing how he was so upset and how he wiped the floor… he’s definitely hosophobic. Aphrodite straightened her clothing and folded her arms, glancing at the gates.  
“Elysium…” she sighed as she laid eyes on the beautiful white gate. She walked towards it and as she set foot in it, the world behind her disappeared again. Now everywhere she looked, she just saw Elysium. The beautiful Elysium. A big blue lake stretched out in front of her, trees filled with tasty looking fruits and bright green grass. The sky was heavenly blue, not a single cloud could be found. Aphrodite sighed and started walking. She noticed someone standing by the lake. It was a dark coloured man, wearing beautiful white bright clothing. Aphrodite quickly trotted towards him.  
“E-excuse me!” she exclaimed, waving her hand. “Excuse me, sir!”  
The man turned around with big surprised eyes and smiled. Aphrodite smiled back as she finally reached him, her palms resting on her knees as she panted.  
“Are you alright?” the man asked, his voice deep and soothing. Aphrodite noticed how he had a beautiful voice. She looked up and nodded.  
“I’m just… I’m looking… for someone here…” Aphrodite panted and straightened up, sighing deeply with a huff. “I’m Aphrodite.”  
“Oh dear! A goddess! What an honour!” the man said smiling and bowed briefly. “My name is Nelson, a pleasure to meet you! Let me help you and tell me: who are you looking for?”  
“I’m looking for a boy, he’s a man now, though,” Aphrodite explained. “He’s tall, black hair, blue eyes, pale skin, the sweetest boy in the world.”  
“Oh, do you mean Phil Lester by any chance?” Nelson asked, tilting his head. Aphrodite nodded frantically. “What a doll, isn’t he?”  
“Exactly!” Aphrodite exclaimed. “Help me find him!”  
“Oh, dear. I know exactly where he is,” Nelson said smiling. “He’s where he always is. Such a shame, isn’t it? He is such a gain for Elysium, he’s so sweet. But he never wants to have a proper conversation-”  
“Where is he?” Aphrodite interrupted, looking around. “I need him!”  
“He’s on the edge of Elysium, always looking down at the human world-” he explained, shaking his head. But before he could finish his sentence, Aphrodite cut him off again.  
“What way?” Aphrodite asked excited, looking around. Nelson pointed to the right and before he could say anything else, Aphrodite took off, leaving him with a confused look. It took Aphrodite a few minutes before she saw the trees around her disappear, signalling she was nearing the edge. Soon she was trotting through a field, and she saw someone. A figure was laying on the ground, concentrating on something.  
“Hey!” Aphrodite shouted, waving her hands at the person who didn’t respond. Aphrodite was heavy panting when she finally reached the person, leaning on her knees. “Hey… you… P-Phil…”  
“Hmm?” the person one the ground hummed, not being able to tear his eyes away from where he was looking at.  
“Y-you’re Phil…? Right…?” Aphrodite panted, wiping the sweat off her forehead.  
“mhmm,” Phil hummed, still not looking up. Aphrodite frowned offended when she saw how he didn’t turn around.  
“Phil? Look at me, we need to talk,” Aphrodite said stern. Phil still didn’t respond, making her narrow her eyes. Aphrodite closed her eyes for a few seconds, concentrating on nobody else then Dan Howell. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat. Her eyelids parted and she looked down at Phil. Copying Dan’s voice, she said: “Phil, look at me.”  
“Dan!?” Phil exclaimed, his voice hoarse and rough. He turned around with the speed of light and his wide eyes shot around, seeing no one else but the beautiful goddess who was standing behind him. He examined her quickly with his now disappointed eyes and turned back to the edge, looking down again. Aphrodite raised her eyebrows and sighed, taking place next to the raven haired on the ground. She looked over the edge, trying to catch a glimpse of what Phil was looking at. About a feet down, there was a big shimmering mirror-like thing. Except that it wasn’t reflecting, it was focusing on something else. Dan’s image appeared on it, lying in bed and bawling his eyes out. He was rambling and clutching the shirt, sniffling his noise.  
“Sad, isn’t it?” Aphrodite asked Phil, who hummed in response. “He’s so unhappy without you. It hurts to see.” Phil didn’t respond. “I want him to be happy, you know.” It was silent for another few seconds. Phil still decided to stay quiet, not batting an eye. “I’m sending something to cheer him up.” Phil turned to face Aphrodite with big, questioning eyes. Aphrodite smiled at him, making Phil tilt his head and then looking back at Dan, still not talking. “I really think this will make him crack a genuine smile again.” Phil gulped and clenched his teeth together, but still keeping his mouth shut. “Wouldn’t you like that? To see him happy again? After all those years? He’s been alone for so long after you left him, I think he deserves to feel happy again… don’t you think?”  
“…You’re making it sound like I wanted to leave him, like I wanted him to be this sad,” Phil said cold, still not looking up. Aphrodite glanced at Phil and sighed.  
“Of course I know that you didn’t want this,” Aphrodite explained. “It just hurts a lot to see him suffer like that. I want to fix this, so I’m sending him something.”  
“I don’t think that will help, whatever it is,” Phil sighed and leaned on his palm, elbow digging into the ground. Aphrodite smiled in response.  
“I think it will, I’m sure of it,” she said with a smug grin. “Want to see what I’m sending him?”  
“Sure, whatever,” Phil responded and looked at Aphrodite. “Show me.”  
“Alright, let’s go,” Aphrodite smiled and got up, beckoning him to follow. “Come on, we can’t let Dan wait for it. We both know Thanatos will otherwise pick him up soon.”  
“But…” Phil exclaimed, gesturing at Dan with a pout. “I don’t want to leave him.”  
“If we let him die, you’ll never see him again. Ever,” Aphrodite said and raised her eyebrows. “Do you want that to happen?”  
“If he dies, he’ll come here and I’ll be able to be physical with him,” Phil said frowning and sat up on his knees. Aphrodite shook her head.  
“No, he won’t get into Elysium,” Aphrodite explained. “Elysium doesn’t allow suicide victims. Some even get send to Tartarus for throwing their life away like that. Plus, he murdered several-“  
“W-what!? They wouldn’t do that to Dan… r-right?” Phil stammered, fear filling his eyes. He leaped up, almost tripping over his own legs and trotted next to Aphrodite, who already started walking to the gate. “Right?”  
“Who knows? I think you’re one of the few people the judges judged the past years,” Aphrodite shrugged. “They’re not as good as they used to be. You’re in Elysium after all.”  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Phil spat out with a glare, making Aphrodite laugh.  
“I’m kidding, calm down, Lion,” Aphrodite said jokingly. Phil’s breath hitched when he heard the nickname Dan used to say and he briefly stood still. He coughed and continued walking after a second, gulping down some saliva. Aphrodite glanced at Phil with a frown. Why did he stop so all of a sudden? It took her one look to see how Phil’s eyes had filled with sadness and his jaw had tightened, signalling how he was clenching his teeth. She immediately regretted calling him Lion, knowing that was kind of their thing.  
After a few minutes of walking in silence, they had reached the gate. Aphrodite steadily walked towards it as Phil slowly neared it with a frown.  
“I’m not supposed to leave, actually,” he stammered nervously, glancing around scared. Aphrodite gave him a reassuring smile.  
“I asked Hades, you can go,” Aphrodite said with a soothing voice and jerked her head towards the gate, smiling. “Come on, let’s go.”  
“Where are we going actually?” Phil asked and tilted his head, slowly inching towards the gate. Aphrodite grinned and grabbed Phil’s wrist, pulling him through the gate. He gasped and shrieked as his bare feet fell on the black sand, he looked around and saw barely anything. He examined the other gates with a scared look. Aphrodite eyed the other gates briefly and then walked towards the one leading to Cerberus. An unsettling feeling appeared in her lower gut as she neared it.  
“Just follow me, Phil,” she said, trying to sound at least half as scared as she was feeling. “You’re safe with a goddess.”  
“You’re a _what_!?” Phil exclaimed as Aphrodite crossed the gate, making her disappear. He cursed quietly and trotted through the gate, seeing her appear again. “You didn’t tell me you were a fricking _goddess_!”  
“Shut up!” Aphrodite whisper-shouted through almost closed lips, her eyes shooting from Phil to something gigantic in front of her. Phil gasped when he remembered what was standing in front of him when he entered the Underworld. The humongous hound was laying on the floor, vast asleep while snoring content. Aphrodite placed her index finger against her lips, glaring at Phil who still stood frozen and nailed to the ground.  
“I’m sorry,” Phil squeaked, his voice trembling lightly. He tiptoed after Aphrodite, seeing some sort of dark beach-like feature in the distance. Phil nervously glanced at Cerberus, the snakes covering its body hanging lazily off his sides. He gulped as he examined the beast, his gigantic and sharp teeth were clearly visible and stuck out of his mouth. Wondering how much it would hurt when they’d dig in his flesh, Phil turned his head towards Aphrodite and tried to be as silent as possible when he followed her.  
“You’re a goddess!?” he exclaimed again when they had passed the dog, his eyes wide. Aphrodite nodded proud, raising her chin a bit and showed an arrogant grin. Phil examined her closely, his eyes narrowed as they roamed her. “Well, what kind of goddess? What do you stand for?”  
“Can’t you see?” she asked offended and placed her hands on her hips, flashing a fake smile. Phil raised an eyebrow and shook his head after a few seconds. “Hmm?”  
“Err, no. Sorry,” he said with an apologetic smile. Aphrodite huffed and frowned with a pout.  
“I’m Aphrodite! Goddess of beauty! And other stuff but mainly beauty!” Aphrodite exclaimed opening her arms and making a slow twirl.  
“Ooooh…” Phil nodded. “You wouldn’t say it, would you?”  
“ _Excuse me_?” Aphrodite growled with an angry glare. “What’s that supposed to mean!?”  
“Oh, no! I didn’t mean it like that! I’m sorry!” Phil exclaimed, but Aphrodite had already started walking away. He quickly followed her, apologising some more. “You’re really pretty, I swear! I guess I’m just too gay to notice, is that a thing?”  
“Ugh, it’s fine,” she groaned and pointed ahead. “There’s the Styx, let’s get you to the other side.”  
“Wait, what?” Phil asked frowning, but he kept following her. “I’m not sure if I’m allowed to leave the Underworld entirely. You sure Hades consented?”  
“Yes, I’m sure. Stop nagging,” Aphrodite murmured annoyed and rolled her eyes, already seeing Charon in the distance. “There’s our ride.”  
“Err, okay…” Phil said slow and hesitant as he followed her. He squinted his eyes, focussing on the boat that was slightly bobbing up and down. He barely remembered getting here, but still had a vague memory about the horrible disfigured man-like creature. Phil gulped as they hopped into the boat, sailing back to the Olympus.  
“Mind actually telling me what we’re going to do?” Phil asked frowning, tugging at Aphrodite’s clothes. She looked at him with a grin and sighed, shaking her head.  
“You’re so clueless, aren’t you,” she smiled, making Phil tilt his head. He mouthed a ‘what?’ making Aphrodite chuckled. “We’re going to send something that will cheer Dan up!”  
“Yeah, I know _that_ part, but I still don’t know _what_ we’re sending him,” Phil exclaimed, raising his eyebrows in frustration. “You were going to tell me what we’re sending him, remember?”  
“Oh, _we’re_ not sending him anything,” Aphrodite grinned playful and winked. Phil rolled his eyes. “ _I’m_ sending him something.”  
“What are _you_ sending him, then?” Phil sighed and folded his arms, feeling guilty for leaving Dan. A sudden fear crept over him now he wasn’t watching him every second. Who knew what he was doing right now?  
“Don’t you mean _who_ am I sending him?” Aphrodite grinned wide. Phil gasped and widened his eyes, he shook his head in disbelief. Aphrodite nodded back at him, her smile getting brighter and brighter when she saw the realisation in Phil’s eyes.  
“Oh my god…” Phil choked out, feeling things he had never felt before. So intense, so happy. “Oh my god!”  
“Which one- wow!” Aphrodite grinned, but got interrupted by Phil who almost launched himself at her, hugging her dearly. He felt tears well up as he clenched his arms around her tighter and tighter. After a few moments, Aphrodite’s arms wrapped around Phil too, gently hugging him back.  
“Thank you… thank you so much…” Phil whispered and sniffled his nose. After a few seconds they broke away, Phil looking up with tears streaming over his cheeks. Aphrodite smiled warmly at him. She opened her mouth to say something, but got interrupted when the boat suddenly hit the coast, making them all, except for Charon, almost fall over.  
“We’re here,” Charon murmured and held his hand up to Aphrodite with raised eyebrows, expecting her to not have any money anymore. Aphrodite wobbled on her legs a few moments before she stood stable again. She dug her hand into her pocket, getting out the rest of the drachmas and pushing them into Charon’s hand.  
“Thanks for the ride, mate,” she said grinning and snatched Phil’s wrist, pulling him out of the boat and towards the way she came from.  
“So where are we going now?” Phil asked as he got pulled along behind the excited goddess.  
“To Zeus obviously!” Aphrodite exclaimed and briefly turned her head to Phil, glancing up and down his body. “We have to ask him to make some minor changes. We can’t send you back to Dan looking like _this_ , now can we?”

 

Dan’s body was trembling slightly, the tears on his face had dried up and made his cheeks crusty. His heavy breaths had slowly turned into erratic whimpers and he had his arms wrapped around himself, still lying in bed with the shirt pressed to his chest. His crying had slowly stopped, an occasional sob would sound through the room, but the tears had stopped. Dan figured that he maybe didn’t have any useful liquid in his body anymore to make tears as he was so dehydrated. How long had he been laying there? An hour? Hour and a half? Dan gulped and sighed, tightening the grip he had around himself. He felt his ribcage stick out, his fingers slid across his ribs, counting them in his head. He felt utterly awful.  
“I can’t believe myself,” Dan whispered to himself and sniffled his nose. “I’m so disgusting. I’m so fucking thin and ugly. I’m so worthless. I’m nothing. If Phil would see me like this, he’d hate me too. He’d be so disappointed with me. I’m fucking starving myself. I’m such a mess.”  
Dan let out another shaky breath and sat up. He grimaced as he felt his head ache, running his hand through his thinned hair. His eyes skimmed the room, keeping his gaze fixed on the dusty keyboard in the corner. He rubbed his eyes for a few seconds and looked back at the instrument, tilting his head with his eyebrows furrowed. He sniffled his nose again and stood up, wobbling on his legs for a few seconds. He held the shirt in his hands, staring at it for a few seconds before pulling it over his head with a sigh, letting it cover the original shirt he was wearing. He straightened it by stroking his palms across his stomach and chest, biting his bottom lip as he looked into Gengar’s eyes. He slowly sauntered towards the keyboard, not exactly knowing why, and sank down in the stool. He gazed at the dust ridden keys for a few seconds and leaned forward, blowing the dust off. He took a deep breath, his mouth twitching and turned the device on. He placed his fingers on the keys. 7 years. It’s been 7 years since he had even seen a piano. He pressed the first keys to the song. His other hand joining in and continuing it. Dan let out a shaky breath. His hands glided over the keys, hitting every note he needed to. Something guided him through it. Dan couldn’t write down the notes or perform it slower. His hands knew, they knew what to do and at which tempo. Dan knew this wasn’t just any song. It was _the_ song. _The_ song that he had played for Phil in the art gallery. _The_ song he had played for him when he passed out when it was Christmas. _The_ song he had played countless of times during the piano lessons.  
It wasn’t just any song. It wasn’t just _the_ song.  
It was **_their_** song. Dan’s body apparently had found some more usable liquid as tears filled the boy’s eyes again, limiting his vision. Even though everything around him was now blurry, his hands still somehow found their way to the next key. Dan sniffled his nose as a tear dripped down his cheek, pressing the last keys. He held them down until the note completely faded out. Dan’s fingers slid off the keys with a quiet sigh, staring at them for a few seconds.  
A loud crash made him flinch and shriek loudly, his head between his arms as protection. Glass shards flew around the room, hitting Dan’s back but not cutting through the shirt. The sound of the crash only lasted for a second, the room dead silent after. Dan’s head slowly raised from his arms, staring in front of him to the wall, his breathing erratic and heavy. A huff and a grunt sounded from behind, glass shifting on the floor, making tingling noises. Dan was trembling in fear. A demon? A murderer? A _demon murderer_? _Slender man?_  
“I’m not sure if _you’re_ the one who should teach me how to land,” a deep, familiar voice said from behind him, followed by a low chuckled. Dan froze and held his breath. The glass behind him made more tingling noises, signalling the person stood up. Footsteps neared him, stopping when they stood right behind him. Dan was still too shocked to move and gulped down some saliva. It was dead silent for a few seconds. Dan let his breath go and inhaled sharply. He slowly turned around on the stool, looking up into two deep blue eyes. Shimmering with happiness, joy and _life_.  
“P-Phil..?” Dan choked out, his voice trembling. Dan’s eyes weren’t only looking at Phil’s, something else caught Dan’s gaze. His eyes widened as he stared at the space behind Phil. Two gigantic wings, about as big as Dan’s, attached onto his back. Bright green at the top, fading to blue at the bottom. Phil giggled quietly, his eyes sparkling and his tongue poking out between his teeth as he clumsily flapped the wings a few times.  
“Yeah, I still have to get used to them,” he said chuckling, mumbling an apology when he knocked something of Dan’s nightstand. “Flying is harder than I thought, you know.”  
Phil smiled at Dan, making his breath hitch and he sniffled his nose. Dan’s lips were slightly parted and he slowly arose from the stool, standing in front of Phil who tilted his head. Dan’s pupils dilated and he gulped, still not being able to process all this. His hand slowly lifted up, as if it was checking if Phil was real, if he was really standing there and that it wasn’t some sick hallucination. Phil giggled again and he raised his hand too, pressing his palm and fingers against Dan’s. Dan gasped and his wings spread wide, the room lit up, the source being Dan’s wings. Phil’s mouth fell open and he gazed at Dan’s wings with wide eyes. All the colours ignited back on the feathers, brighter than ever. They interlocked their fingers and Dan blinked his eyes in disbelief, glancing at his wings and then back at Phil again.  
“Phil!” Dan exclaimed and smashed their lips together. The kiss was different from any they had ever shared before. This one was filled with so much passion and love. After a few seconds they pulled away, their foreheads pressed together and they smiled. Dan then noticed that Phil’s cheeks were wet, thinking it was because his own cheeks were wet. Phil sniffled his nose and smiled brighter, making Dan realise Phil was crying.  
“Don’t cry, love,” he chuckled and wiped the tears from Phil’s cheeks.  
“If you promise you won’t either,” Phil grinned and pecked Dan briefly. “I love you.”  
“I love you too,” Dan whispered and hugged Phil dearly. His hands slowly stroked the base of Phil’s wings and he frowned. “How did these get here?”  
“Long story,” Phil grinned. “But I think we have time now, don’t we? We only have a few thousand years.”  
“What?” Dan whispered, pulling away from the hug and staring at Phil with wide eyes. “Y-you’re… you’re an..?”  
“Yes, baby,” Phil chuckled. “Didn’t you get that already?”  
“That means that you… that we…” Dan choked out, feeling Phil cup his cheek with a nod.  
“We can be together now,” he said smiling, seeing Dan gasp and smile. “We can be open. We’re not illegal to be together anymore. We can do anything we want to. We can get back to school, get degrees. We can buy a house. Hell, we can even adopt children! We can be together again!”  
“Forever?” Dan asked quietly with pleading eyes. Phil grinned and pressed their lips together again for a few seconds. They pulled away and Phil’s hands rested on Dan’s hips, locking their eyes together.

_**”Forever.”** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so that was it, I guess
> 
> Acknowledgement on the next page as well as the announcement;)


	33. Chapter 33

Acknowledgements  
(I’m doing this ironically)  
All rights go to ©MaschaWitzier, AKA Im_Innocent_I_Swear. lolzor

Dedications:  
I dedicate this to my girlfriend Clarissa who said she loves my smile more every time she sees it, which I think is sweet. Ssame.  
And to Sten, my son, who heard the story first even though he doesn’t care about Dan nor Phil.

 

Acknowledgements:

**The special announcement is somewhere in this gigantic bubble of text. So if you actually care, read it all. Haha. Fuck you.**

Let’s start with the beginning.

First of all: I want to thank my mum. You’re awesome. I love you so much. And even though you’re not allowed to read my stories because I don’t want to permanently traumatised you with all the porn, you still support me. You even listen to my new drafts and my rants about the amount of hits I get. I can even read some comments aloud for you. The little sparkle in your eye tells me you’re proud. I love you. (And why did you have to follow me on Twitter. That’s a bad idea.)

Then obviously, I want to thank my dad. You’re so funny and great which kind of covers up the fact that you’re a Donald Trump supporter (WHY). You’ve been there for me since the beginning. Not because you had to, but because you wanted to. I know I can be a huge pain, but you’re still here. We both don’t say it a lot to each other, but I love you. And I know you do too. And that’s what it’s all about, right? You love me, even though I can’t stop talking about Dan and Phil. Or gay sex. Or anime, cosplaying, tv-shows, Tumblr etc. Thanks for that, dad. I love you.

Next up is my beautiful older sister. Hi, Renske. You’re so amazing and funny. Sometimes you’re so mature, and you kind of scare me. We barely ever fight, and I love you so much. I don’t want you to move out soon. Your boyfriend, Julian, is really great (HE GAVE ME DAN AND PHIL MERCH. TWICE.) and you two are nice together. I will miss you lots if you go away to live with him. I will even miss how you can be super immature sometimes and annoy the heck out of me. Or when you talk in this _really_ high-pitched voice when you talk to the cats, you’re doing that as I’m writing this btw. And you’re especially annoying when you sing that little song to one of the cats, that’s like ‘miri, miri, miriiiii’. Like, it’s so annoying. Fuck man, I could throw you down the stairs if you do that. Still love you, though. You’re great and always support me, even if you don’t care about Dan and Phil. You’re still awesome. Never forget that. Thank you.

And of course I want to thank the rest of my family, for reacting nice when I came out. Sorry that I won’t let you read my stories, y’all aren’t ready for the gay sex, man. You all are pretty great. Thanks for being there for me.

I also want to thank my grandpa specifically. I know you’ve been feeling really lonely and sad since grandma died. You always try to look big and strong, just like your son (my dad lol). You’re so, so sweet. I love you so much. Thanks for helping me through my depression and wanting to listen to my rambles about Dan and Phil and fanfiction. You’re so awesome and I love you! So much!

 

Now to my friends.  
Sten, you’re my baby boy. My son, I’m your mother. You’re such a pretty boy and I love you. Thanks for giving me great ideas for this fic, you’re amazing. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You’re funny, beautiful, great and awesome. I love you, baby.

Whaddup, Gio. You’re so funny, and I kind of miss the conversations we used to have sometimes. We still talk and hang out, which I appreciate very much. You’re awesome. Thanks for being there for me, you’re ma bro. fistbump. Fistbump bro. ye.

Hey, Bas. You really brighten up my day sometimes, you know. We aren’t even like _really_ good friends, but as you’re so fucking hilarious, I wish we were sometimes. You have absolutely no shame, which is great. Thanks for making me laugh when you give me that weird look when I show you my gay-porn blog. That’s really funny. Stay awesome.

Hey, Aish! I know you don’t want to hear about Dan, Phil, gay-porn, bands and our hot English teacher, yet you still listen to my rants. I really appreciate that, you know. I know you’re in Suriname right now for the death of your grandma, so I want to send you some strength to get you through this rough time. You’re really great. Thanks for being my friend.

Hi, Brandon. You’re really nice and funny, you know. You should really stop talking yourself down all the time. You’re great. I love having you as a friend. I love having you around. You’re just so awesome. And you have great mangas I can borrow. You’re a real friend. You even share your gum with me. Nice.

Sup, Guido. I hate you. You’re still my friend, though. Don’t think that me hating you means I don’t care about you. Because I do. :D.

Hey, Ankie, Anna, Daphne and Lotte. You’re all really great to hang out with. Thanks for tolerating me. I really like spending time with y’all. Stay great.

MAROUSSIAAAAAAA. HEY. YOU’RE REALLY AWESOME. MULLER IS HOT. HAVE A NICE DAY. KEEP THOSE COINS WITH YOU. FOREVER. OK BYE, I’M CRYING OVER VLIST AOSIDFHOAIHSD;FAJS;.

Hey, Clarissa. You’re my first ever _real_ girlfriend, and I really like you. I _really_ do. I wish you the best, I want you to be happy. You deserve it. You’re so beautiful and funny, I really like being with you. I hope you want me to stay for a little longer.  <3.

Quinty, Femke and Jitske. I know we don’t see each other that often anymore, but I still really love you guys. When I told you I had a girlfriend, you didn’t even respond. It was like I told you guys I had breakfast. As if it was the most normal thing in the world. I really loved that, it made me feel accepted. Love you guys:D.

Shout out to Manon(:D), Evelien, Maryam, Max, **Mahad, Michael, Wouter, Ramin** , Femke(other one, the one with the really cool dilated pupils), Joel and Lotte (other one, the one with the short, straight hair who really looks like Marzia). Y’all are great and I didn’t forget you.  
The ones who were written in **bold are not my friends. They’re guys from my class who can annoy the hell out of me. I hate them so much sometimes, but when they say something nice, they lift my spirits by 60%. They’re kinda cool sometimes. I’d feel bad if I didn’t include them.**

And at the end of my friends list, if you’re not in this list, I’m so sorry. But I’m certain that I love you and appreciate you as a being. Have nice life. Thanks for being there for me! 

And to all the others who helped me write and finish this crap:D 

First of all: sir van der Vlist. You’re by far the most attractive teacher I have ever seen (Muller is on second place lolololol, I ship it), and I want to thank you for being you. You’re really funny and awesome as an English teacher! You even read my infamous fic ‘So, daddy, huh?’ which is a StudentXTeacher fic with a hard-core Daddy!Kink and you didn’t freak out... sort off (I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t base it on us a bit, lol. I regret all of my life decisions). You read it and all you did was support it and tell me how I wrote it really nicely. Thanks for that, I appreciate it. Also thanks for letting me check out your ass when you’re teaching, I appreciate that even more. Or when you sit on your desk, and you cross your legs… omg, the bulge in your jeans is huge. I’m a sinner. You’re just really sexy. Thanks for helping me, daddy, I mean sir. I’m a terrible human being. I’m sorry 

I want to thank Georgina, who hates me, this fic and everyone in it. She actually bullied me for wearing cat whiskers once. I hope she feels bad now. 

A special thank you to one of my readers who contacted me on Instagram and handed me some brilliant ideas, like making Phil an Optimi! She even drew me some gorgeous fanart of Dan and his wings! So you should all go follow her on Tumblr. Her name was Sam. Her Tumblr is Llamaqueen88.tumblr.com. Her Twitter is PhantasticFrank. Her Instagram is @cinnamonrollester. She’s really awesome and you should totes follow her. Thanks, girl. 

Also a huge shout-out to Lucy, who contacted me on Tumblr. Her url is xxmyotp4everxx.tumblr.com. You should totally follow her too. Thank you for supporting me through writing and leaving your feedback. I absolutely love talking to you and I hope we can exchange lots of conversations in the future. You’re really great. 

>Also a shout-out to Duncan, legowerewolf.tumblr.com, who helped me like Lucy and contacted me on Tumblr. He was worried when I didn’t upload for a while, which is really sweet. You should go follow him. 

And I obviously want to thank Dan and Phil for making me smile when I thought no one could. You guys made me so, so happy. You ruined my life, but also made it so much better. I think it compensates. Let’s hope so. We’ll never find out. Thanks for letting me discover my new hobby: writing! I absolutely love it! Thanks for not suing me too. Love you guys! 

And, of course, thanks to you reading this. The fact that you actually used your spare time to read this crap, makes me very happy. I spent hours and hours working on this and put my heart and soul in this. I am very proud at what I made. I hope you liked it. Thank you. Without you, I wouldn’t have liked writing as much as I do. Thanks for commenting and stimulating me. Thanks for leaving kudos and making me smile. And even if you’re a drop out and didn’t even read this to the end, I still got a +1 on my hit count, so haha. I love you guys so much and you can always come and talk to me. 

Finally, I want to thank myself. I want to thank myself for putting so much effort and love into this piece of crap. If you read this later on I want to tell you: you’re cute, you’re kind of funny sometimes. You actually are kind of smart and you’re not as annoying as you think you are. Thanks for actually finishing something for once. Thanks for finishing this in a nice way, unlike ‘Outside of the Window’. For anyone who read that, I’m sorry, I just got kind of bored writing it so I just killed them both. Haha... Hah… I’m a terrible human. 

**Now, if you’ve been a good boy/girl/both/neither-of-them-but-ur-still-awesome-and-cute, you read all that. If you didn’t: bad! Go read it, it means a lot to me.**

So you read it all now? Great, thanks. Because here’s the announcement. It wasn’t hidden in the gigantic text bubble. I’m a troll. As I love this fic SO much, I don’t want it to end.  
I don’t want it to end, _yet_.  
**So I’ve decided to make a part 2** called ‘Volant mecum’, which is Latin for ‘Fly with me’, in the Libertas volandi’ series.  
**I’m not sure yet** , but I have some ideas for it. As Phil is now an Optimi, he has to learn everything, right? He’s not born as one, so they don’t want him in any special schools, so Dan has to teach him everything. From flying, to spells. It will be a bit shorter than this one, but I think it’ll work out. I also want them to get married.  
**Let me know your thoughts about it in the comments** , I’ll really appreciate it. 

**Thanks for reading, I love you.**

Much love and yours truly, 

Mascha, Im_Innocent_I_Swear 

**Tumblr: phanpornandmore**

**Author's Note:**

> So that was it  
> That was a wild ride huh  
> I enjoyed it:D


End file.
